Forgive and Forget?
by numberoneklutz
Summary: The male members of team seven return to Konoha after a six year period as celebrated heroes. They discover, however, that a certain blossom has moved on. Without them.
1. Chapter 1

Hey ya'll! I know I should be updating my other story but the plot bunnies just wouldn't leave me alone! No means no damn you! Anyway, you can expect at least one other new story from me after this one.

To my readers of my other story, I'm soooo soooooory for the delay! The next two chapter are already planned but due to all the random plot ideas my muse keeps throwing at me, I just can't concentrate! Never fear though. I think that once I get these ideas out of my system I'll be able to continue writing on Mist Maiden.

* * *

"There are only two forces that unite men - fear and interest."

Napoleon Bonaparte

* * *

"You do realize that we expect rain later today don't you?" Ino's inquiry, while well founded, irritated Sakura. 

"Yeah, yeah I know. It's my only day off though and I sure as hell don't want to spend it indoors. I spend enough time inside while on hospital duty as it is." The roseate female glanced at the sky. Now that Ino mentioned it, it was a little cloudy…

"Fine. Since you're being so stubborn, here!" An exasperated blonde thrust a picnic blanket towards Sakura.

With a sunny smile that hid her growing doubts- thanks to Ino!- over her plans for the day, she cradled the blanket in her arms and gave her thanks to her rival/friend and made her way towards her intended destination. A meadow outside Konoha's gates.

What she hadn't told Ino was the reason she wanted to spend a quiet day in a peaceful meadow. Lately she had found herself dreaming more and more about her former team. The now legendary team seven.

The dreams didn't follow any apparent pattern or theme. Some nights they were happy and some….well let's just say she didn't sleep well those nights.

She stopped her journey momentarily, taking a moment to just enjoy the breeze that was gently blowing through the trees. _It's been so long since I've just observed nature. Way too long._

Sakura couldn't even remember when her last day off had been. Her days at the hospital were almost unbearably hectic. She blamed Tsunade for this.

Since the defeat of Orochimaru, and the disbanding of the Akatsuki two years ago - thanks largely to her former team - Konoha had flourished in the momentary peace. Other hidden villages, however, weren't as fortunate.

The villages of Cloud, Grass, Star, and several others were going through their own private wars. Horrible wars that left hundreds dead and many more injured. The war torn villages found themselves overwhelmed with injured and lacking both the medic-nins and the resources to treat their shinobi.

That's where Konoha came into the picture. Tsunade knew it was only a matter of time before the next great shinobi war erupted. Tensions were already high and several of the prominent shinobi powers were just waiting for an excuse to battle.

So, being the crafty Hokage she was, Tsunade offered Konoha's medical assistance to the suffering villages. Since Konoha was widely known for its medical prowess, the villages were quick to accept. In return for their assistance the Leaf village received not only the unconditional support of the villages, but also trading privileges, the promise of later monetary compensation, and unreserved access to their medical jutsus.

All in all it was a very good deal. Still it was hard to appreciate her shishou's genius after she had pulled her daily sixteen hour shift in the hospital, which was more often than not followed by hours of paperwork.

Despite all their preparations, they had still been caught by surprise by the flood of patients sent to their hospital. Thousands came through their doors on a daily basis and they struggled frantically to keep the number of outgoing patients the same as the number of incoming patients. Sakura had taken to just sleeping in her office most nights, only leaving the hospital to take a quick shower and change.

The fact that she was even allowed a day off was a small miracle in and of itself. The only reason her shishou had even considered gifting her with one was probably due to her small breakdown the day before. Months of only hour long naps could do that to a person.

When Sakura next glanced at her surroundings she realized that she had reached her destination sometime during her musings. _So much for enjoying the scenery during my walk._

The rosy haired kunoichi spread the blanket on the ground, taking care not to unnecessarily crush any of the wildflowers. Her task completed she flopped down on it unceremoniously. She stretched luxuriously on the soft fleece, thoroughly enjoying the feel of the material.

Under the quiet gloom of the darkening sky, she couldn't help but reminisce on her genin days. Days when she still had a team to call her own.

Six years.

It had been six years since she had last seen or heard from any of her former teammates. They had left her behind without so much as a goodbye.

She should have expected it really. She had always known she was the weakest link in team seven. She was always the one in need of protection. The one left in the dust in the ongoing quest for power.

She had noted, with envious and despairing eyes, the great strides her teammates made towards becoming exceptional - legendary- shinobi. It seemed that for every step she sweat and bled to take forward her teammates had effortlessly taken a hundred more, leaving her further and further behind despite her best efforts to keep up.

She had always felt so useless when she was with them, so insignificant. She knew better now. It wasn't that _she_ was incredibly weak, it was that _they_ were incredibly strong.

Still, even though she was aware that she was outclassed by every single member of her team, she had felt like she belonged. Like her teammates sincerely cared about her.

It was due to this misconception that she grew to love them. Every single one of them, Naruto, Sasuke, Kakashi-sensei, and Sai had all taken a hold of her heart.

_My boys _she paused to contemplate the phrase _huh, it's been a while since I've thought of them as my anything._

It was true. When she had forgiven them, all those years ago, she had also unconsciously severed all ties with them. She still cared about them, but only as esteemed shinobi of the village, nothing more.

As she pondered her nonexistent relationship to the men who use to mean the world to her, she remembered how things use to be……

* * *

_"Naruto! Hold Still!" An infuriated younger Sakura whacked her squirming teammate across the head, perhaps with more force than was necessary._

_"But Sakura-chan! I don't need to get my cuts cleaned! They're only scratches!" The blonde boy held his aching head as he warily eyed his female companion from his position on the hospital bed, fearful of another blow._

_Said female only glared harder at her hapless teammate. "You just **think **you don't need them cleaned," she all but growled. "Those kunais were filthy! Who knows how many types of bacteria were crawling all over them, just waiting for some dumbass to infect!" _

_Naruto mistook her passing comment as an insult. "I'm sorry Sakura-chan," he replied dejectedly. "Thank you for taking care of them. You're right, I am a dumbass."_

_The roseate girl's anger completely vanished upon seeing her teammates fallen look. She moved next to him on the bed. "You idiot," she said lovingly as she took him in her arms, "you have nothing to be sorry about. The only reason I'm angry is because I care and worry about you."_

_Naruto promptly crushed her body to his in a tight bear hug upon hearing her sincere explanation. "Thank you Sakura-chan_……._ for everything," he whispered in her ear. _

_She felt the dampness of his tears as he lay his cheek against her head. "Don't be silly Naruto. That's what teammates are for," she responded with utter conviction, a loving smile planted firmly on her lips._

* * *

_I use to believe in them so much_..._ believe that they would always be by my side_…._I really was naïve._ The foreboding clouds overhead seemed to reflect her depressing musings. 

In their defense, they had never really verbally told her she was important to them. She had always been the one to assure them of her affection, always the one to tell them she cared.

In her time on team seven not one of them had ever show her as much regard as they showed each other. In spite of her best attempts at remaining oblivious, she had noticed over time that she was the outsider in the group. The others all seemed to have a connection with one another, a special bond that she wasn't a part of. Even Sai, who everyone claimed had no emotions - she knew better - and who had joined the team a substantial time after her, developed strong ties to her male companions.

She had passed it off at first as a guy thing, she was after all the only female member. But as she observed the other teams she noted that they also had that bond, a bond they didn't seem to mind sharing with the kunoichi on their teams.

So she just ignored it. Ignored the fact that her teammates didn't seem to want her there. She grew so adept at it that she had apparently developed the illusion that they really did care for her. An illusion that was shattered when they left. Left to chase after Sasuke without her, even though it had long been decided that they would do it as a team. _Guess I wasn't considered part of the team...it wouldn't surprise me if I wasn't._

She could still remember the day Tsunade had told her they were gone…..

* * *

_It was a bright and sunny summer morning in Konoha. Birds were singing and there wasn't a cloud to be seen in the sky. Truly an environment that would soon starkly contrast one kunoichi's sorrow._

_Sakura briskly made her way to the Hokage's office, inwardly wondering the cause for such an early meeting with her teacher. Tsunade usually didn't begin her training until the early afternoon, giving her the mornings to spend with either her team or on private training._

_As she went through the commercial center, she noticed the strawberries were on special. With a warm smile on her lips, she made a mental note to buy some later. Her boys were extremely fond of her strawberry shortcake, a fondness that sometimes bordered on addiction._

_She finally reached the office moments later, still unsure of the reason for the change in her routine._

_"Morning shishou!" The kunoichi greeted upon seeing her teacher. The warm smile that still graced her face abruptly faded when she saw Tsunade's solemn face._

_"What's wrong," she questioned immediately, somehow instinctively knowing the answer was going to deeply impact her._

_"Sakura, I have some bad news." The beautiful blonde, usually so self-assured, was apprehensive. _

_With warning bells clamoring in her head the pink haired female looked at her mentor with wary eyes. "Bad news?" she asked._

_Taking one last look at her newest apprentice, Tsunade turned to look out her window. She knew it was cowardly, but she didn't want to face Sakura as she told her what had occurred._

_"Your team left the village hours before daybreak. The sentries on duty allowed them to pass, thinking they were on a mission of some sort. They had no mission. Had the evidence not pointed strongly to the contrary, I would dismiss their absences, assuming that something came up and they simply forgot or didn't wish to tell anyone. A letter left on my door, however, dispels that possibility." _

_The Hokage glanced at her student, her heart clenching at the growing anguish visible in the roseate female's features._

_"In it they clearly state that they have temporarily severed ties to Konoha in order to furfill their selfappointed mission." She turned to face Sakura, steeling herself for her next statement - knowing the pain it would cause her student- , and saw the dawning comprehension on her face._

_In a broken whisper, with tears now falling down her cheeks and eyes pleading to be proven wrong, she stated, "They left to bring Sasuke." She quickly lost all semblence of control at her teacher's affirmative gaze._

_"No! You're lying! They promised! They promised we would bring him back together as a team! They wouldn't leave me!" She broke down into sobs, her voice denying the truth even as her heart ripped apart in certainty._

_Through her tears and overwhelming sorrow she felt her teacher's comforting arms cradling her, her voice murmuring soft reassurances. _

_"Shishou," she asked in a faint, desperate, plea," did they mention me? Did they say goodbye?"_

_Tsunade's tightened embrace was all the answer she needed._

* * *

Her heart had healed since then. She now no longer burst into tears at the mere rememberance. The memory however still caused her a pang of pain. That day had showed her how little regard her teammates had for her, how mistaken she was for thinking she was special to them. 

She shook her head slightly to rid herself of the lingering gloom that particular memory always brought about. _Live and learn I suppose _she thought with a sigh _live and learn._

With darkening rain clouds threatening to spew their contents at a seconds notice, Sakura closed weary eyes, letting all her troubles, aches, and troubling memories melt away as she gave into the sweet temptation of sleep.

* * *

The next chapter will include the rest of team seven and their reason for leaving Sakura behind without saying goodbye. It's not because their jerks! Well…they are for leaving her behind…..they didn't even tell her they were leaving!…….hmmm. Forget what I just said, they're still jerks! 

Also I'll try to include more of the rest of rookie nine in the next chapter, but I'm not making any promises. This story seems to have a mind of its own! I mean I intended to include at least Naruto in this chapter but I just seem to keep adding onto Sakura.

By the way, can anyone tell me if I'm spelling "shishou" right? I got the spelling off a translation site, but I'm not sure.


	2. Chapter 2

It was my full intention to post the next chapter of Mist Maiden instead of adding onto this story but……..well I don't really have an excuse. This just kept nagging at me and nagging at me until I literally just _had_ to sit down and type it up!

Many thanks to all who reviewed the first chapter! I highly suspect it was you guys who motivated me to post this so soon when I _should_ be working on my other story. Heh, what can I say? I'm easily swayed.

Aslans'WhiteWitch: I'm so glad you agree with me! Don't worry, the boys are going to have to work hard to get her affection back. I don't want to give too much away early but rest assured that there are going to be some possessive males in the picture when the boys get home.

les-liaisons-dangereuses: Thanks for the feedback!

Michiru's Mirror: Thank you! I'm glad my story makes you curious. I strive to please.

Skyward: Don't worry, I will. This story is incredibly demanding, it forces me to keep adding to it when I have other things I really should be doing - chores, scholarships, summer reading, socializing…..-.

harunosakua: Glad you like it! Here's the next update.

* * *

"In three words I can sum up everything I've learned about life: It Goes On."

_Robert Frost_

* * *

**Somewhere in the Fire Country…..**

Four figures could be seen making their way through the trees at a leisurely pace. Leisurely for highly ranked shinobi that is. Closer inspection of these individuals would make any self-respecting woman drool.

At the far left corner of the group was a stunningly beautiful male. His jet-black hair and ebony colored orbs provided a sharp contrast to his smooth porcelain skin, the combination serving to highlight each feature. And what fine features they were….

A delicate face - which would make even the most gorgeous of women green with envy - was saved from being too overly feminine by a nicely shaped, strong jaw.

His face, however, was only part of what made him so eye catching.

The man's body - firmly toned and muscled from frequent, rigorous training - moved with a deadly grace, leaving no doubt in any observer that this was a person not to be taken lightly.

The males name?

Sai.

Though one could easily spend the rest their life happily viewing this specimen, there were three others just as - if not more - breathtaking shinobi to ogle.

Next to this male resided a man who could easily be mistaken for his twin. Mentioning this fact to either of them, however, would severely shorten the foolish speaker's lifespan.

While it was true that several similarities existed between the two, some noticeable differences were apparent. Sasuke - the male in question - had stronger features and a more prominent jaw. Though his bone structure was still slightly feminine, it was less delicate than that of Sai's.

His body was also of a sturdier build than his counterpart. While both shared a similar height, Sasuke possessed wider shoulders and larger muscle mass than his more slender "twin".

Regardless of the dissimilarities, both individuals were definitely lady-killers.

Next in line was the senior member of the group, a silver haired heartthrob. His passive demeanor was at complete odds with the ever present tension present in his shoulders. Tension that could explode into violent action at the slightest hint of danger.

He stood a hairsbreadth or so shorter than the previously mentioned two, but the deadly aura he projected made such a discrepancy unnoticeable. His lone visible eye radiated wisdom, wisdom that was earned through several years of continuous trials and hardship. Something that his younger companions were well on their way to acquiring.

His body, wiry as opposed to the buffed torso of Sasuke and the lithe one of Sai, had various scars splayed across it. The scars - differing widely in size and location - served as a testament to his will to survive, a drive that kept him alive as others collapsed into death's arms all around him.

The final member of the party was a towering, blue-eyed blonde. As the previous statement suggests, he was the tallest of the four at a whopping six feet six inches. A fact he never failed to rub in his companions faces.

He was the heaviest built of the group, a virtual monument of muscle. He was prevented from being impressively imposing, however, by his bright sky blue orbs - that always seemed to shine in happiness- and his sunny, golden locks. These features both served to paint a picture of a loveable oaf. A clever deception.

The Kyuubi's container - as he was known by some- could easily be the most dangerous of them all. He _was _friendly and easygoing - especially when compared to the two stoic dark haired introverts on his team - but he transformed into a juggernaut of power, capable of destruction of epic proportions, when he even s_uspected _that any of his precious people where in danger.

In all fairness, this could also be said of the other three.

"How much longer till we get there Kakashi?"

"Not long now Naruto, about two days. One if we hurry and travel through the night."

"I wonder……..what do you think Sakura-chan looks like now?" The previously pensive look on Naruto's face was promptly ruined by a perverted grin.

The blonde's - questionable- musings were cut short by a swift uppercut, courtesy of one irritated Uchiha.

While viewing Naruto's impromptu flight, Kakashi felt obligated to at least attempt to reprimand Sasuke. "…..was that really necessary? If you had waited a little longer, the trees thicken up ahead."

Well, it was never mentioned that the reprimand would be about hurting Naruto.

"Hn. He annoyed me." Sasuke had never been one for small talk.

"As much as I hate admitting it, dickless has a point. Sakura has grown up during the time we've been away, her appearance has probably changed at least a little." Sai, who had pretty much ignored the proceedings up until then, decided to add his two cents.

"Yeah Teme," Naruto had recovered by this time, though he was still gingerly rubbing his throbbing head, "I know you're wondering about it too!"

Kakashi decided it wise to intervene. The severe bodily injuries the boys would give one another if the argument was allowed to escalate would slow them down considerably. And after having spent six years away from his little flower, that was simply unacceptable.

"The faster we reach Konoha, the faster we can find out for ourselves." The bickering among the three came to a stop. After all, there really was no arguing with that line of reasoning.

"It's been so long since we last saw her. Do you think……do you think she hates us? We just left her there…… without even telling her why."

This was a question that had been haunting them ever since their departure. They hadn't wanted to leave her. In fact, had they had their way, she would be permanently attached to them. Her safety, however, always overrode their personal desires.

They didn't think her weak. It's just that they never wanted to her to be in a position were she could be hurt. Sakura was their blossom, a beautiful and precious thing to be protected at all costs. The mere _thought_ of her in pain was enough to blind them with rage. Anyone or anything foolish enough to hurt _**their **_girl would soon discover just why team seven was called legendary.

Sasuke, with darkened eyes, answered. "She would have every right to."

The question was more personal to the Uchiha than it was to the others. He had abandoned her first for a far more selfish reason and in a far crueler manner than the rest. If anyone deserved her hate, it was him.

"Well, we'll just have to win Ugly's forgiveness." Sai's tone rang with finality. A future without Sakura's love was not one he cared to be a part of. They would regain her affections, the alternative…….the alternative was not worth thinking about.

"You're right! Sakura-chan's ours and _nothing_ can change that! We'll just have to show her how sorry we are and everything will be okay!" Naruto's enthusiasm was underlied by a steel layer of determination, a determination that had proven itself time and time again.

That single thought echoed through the minds of Konoha's most highly revered shinobi.

* * *

An annoyingly persistent prodding sensation penetrated the pleasant haze of a certain pink haired kunoichi's slumber. 

_Maybe if I ignore it it'll go away. _

The prodding increased in intensity.

_It's bound to get bored._

The prodding was joined by a shaking.

_Anytime now._

The blanket she had cocooned herself in was torn away.

_I was getting overheated anyway._

Her reactions, or lack of them, were apparently irritating her assailants. The thing - or things, she hadn't bothered to check - hoisted her up and she soon found herself flung over the shoulder of a humanoid figure.

That was enough to get her attention.

Sakura bleary, fury filled, eyes shot open. _What do I have to do to get a freakin day to myself! Don't I deserve a break?! Don't I?! _

The kunoichi glared at the blob behind her and started aiming chakra-less punches on her carrier's back. "Just what the _hell_ do you think you're doing! Put me down you bastards!" Her words were punctuated by a flurry of continuous blows.

"Should have known she'd be troublesome. We go through the trouble of saving her from the rain and all she does is insult and attack us. What a drag."

_Wait_….._I know that voice._

"Us?", the incredulous voice of the one carrying her responded, "_I'm _the one receiving all the blows and it's _my _ear she's screaming in. There is no us."

_I know that voice too. Hm_……._maybe they aren't bad guys._

Come to think of it the rich chocolate strands brushing against her face were also vaguely familiar. Chocolate strands……a person who used the word troublesome….it was on the tip of her tongue…….oh………well this was embarrassing.

Focusing her eyes on the figure in front of her, she finally made out the form of one displeased, slightly soggy Shikamaru Nara. That meant……she craned her neck - painfully - back at an angle and saw a mirroring expression on a an equally wet Hyuuga prodigy.

Wait…..wet?

It was then that her drowsy mind finally registered the light rain that was showering the trio. _I must have been dead asleep _she thought _otherwise I never would have missed something so obvious. _With this revalation, comprehension finally set in.

_They came out here to get me _a blush appeared on her cheeks _and I went bezerk on them _her blush deepened, along with her shame _it looks like I have some apologizing to do._

She stretched out her hand towards the back she had been unjustly bombarding and pumped her healing chakra to the area. Neji, immediately noting the lack of pain, shifted her from his shoulder to a more comfortable position in his arms.

"Feeling better now?" The inquiry was accompanied by a sardonic smile that had her rethinking her apology.

"Well, if you two had just woken me up instead of kidnapping me, I would have far more understanding," her indignant response made both men look at her in disbelief.

"Woken you up! What do you think we were doing earlier? Interpretive dance?" Shikamaru's frustration was easily discernible.

"He's right Sakura," Neji's calmer voice interjected, "you were sleeping like a log. Nothing could wake you. Believe me, we tried."

Fuzzy recollections of the earlier annoyanced tickled the back of her mind. _So that's what that was _she thought a bit guility _well, no use crying over spilt milk!_

Turning a dazzling smile towards the two, she innocently chirped, "Thank you soooo much for rescuing me! You guys are the sweetest, most thoughtful, and most caring friends a girl could ask for!"

The duo shared a resigned look before leveling her with a look that clearly stated they were not amused. The matching blushes - which Sakura spotted with glee - that lightly stained their cheeks, however, told her she was forgiven.

"So…..where are we going?" The roseate female's question caught her companions slightly off guard. Something she quickly took note of.

Taking pity on them, and still feeling guilty about earlier, she decided not to call them on it. Besides, both of them would fiercely deny it to their dying day. Both men were, after all, known for their meticulous planning. She felt pity for anyone - excluding her- who suggested that they were anything other than brilliant, both were highly sensitive.

"It's been a while since just the three of us were together. Let's go back to my place to dry off and then Neji can make us lunch."

Shikamaru seem to find the proposal acceptable and Neji, though slightly disgruntled at being volunteered without his permission, also nodded in agreement.

So, with a definite plan of action, the trio made their way to Sakura's apartment for a quiet lunch and, most likely, a few games of shogi.

* * *

Ahh...another chapter done. 

The number of significant males in Sakura's life seems to have increased. The males of team seven won't be happy. Muwahahaha!! I say let suffer! Well...at least till I think they deserve Sakura's love again. That could be a while since I like to hold grudges. They'll have to be realllllllly great.

Well, until next time!


	3. Chapter 3

I swear, sometimes I feel as if I've been possessed! These chapters keep coming out of nowhere! I should be groveling at the feet of the readers of Mist Maiden. The chapters are written, scout's honor! It's just the revising I seem to be hung up on. I solemnly swear that my next update will be over that story, no matter how tempted I may be to post another chapter of Forgive and Forget.

Ya know, I was rereading my earlier chapters and I discovered that my beginning quotes would be infinitely better if they were switched. They just seem to tie in better with the chapters that way. Hm……..I think that sometime in the near future I'll just have to do that, there's no way my annoying muse will let me rest otherwise. However, procrastination does do wonders for ones work ethic.

Just as a heads up, some pairings in this story will not necessarily be _romantic_ pairings. Just exactly what pairings those will be has yet to be decided. Never fear though! There will be considerable competition for the fair Sakura's heart! In fact, the competition will be so fierce that not only one guy can possibly win by himself - wink - , the cherry blossom does require constant affection after all. Ahh…….what I would give to be in her shoes.

Anyhoo, on with the reviews!

les-liaisons-dangereuses: Thank you! I always appreciate constructive criticism, it help me become a better writer. I'm glad you like my writing! You're compliments made me blush!

psycotic-angel123: I'm happy my story keeps you guessing!

Mageblood: Jealousy is indeed on the horizon for team seven! And since I'm a fan of Neji and Shikamaru myself, there is a _strong_ possibility that they will be included in her private life.

sittinghere: I'm glad you like it! Here's the next chapter.

Blizzie-chan: It is mean! You're more than welcome to have a wack at them, they deserve it!

DarkAngelRakell: Glad you love the story! The boys have a _long_ and rocky road ahead of them before they even stand a _chance_ of regaining her affections.

furryhatlover2543: I'm happy you like it! Here's an update.

frienz4ever: They will suffer!

harunosakua: They _are_ going to be extremely jealous once they discover all the new males in Sakura's life.

yukibozu: Thanks for the feedback! I'm glad you like Neji and Shikamaru thing!

sakurastears: Glad you love it!

* * *

"The price of apathy towards public affairs is to be ruled by evil men."

_Plato_

* * *

_What did I do to deserve this?_

A petrified Kankuro was currently cowering in absolute terror in the relative shelter of a dark corner as his demented younger brother tore through his own office.

He made no sound, hoping against hope that his sibling would soon forget about him if he stayed quiet long enough. The puppet master always was thought of as an optimist.

**"Where the **_**hell**_** is it Kankuro?" **The usually composed Kazekage snarled. **"I left it in **_**that **_**drawer," **an enraged Gaara pointed wildly at the upper left drawer on his stately, and usually immaculate, desk.

"I _don't_ know, honestly I don't!" Utterly shameless at this point, too occupied with fearing for his life to give a damn about pride, his pitiful pleas echoed in the ravaged room.

**"**_**You **_**were the one who cleaned this room. You **_**should **_**know." **The crazed look in the red head's eyes only accented the rage in his tone.

Kankuro was on the verge of wetting himself.

He normally got on well with his brother, he really did. The three sand siblings had bonded over the years, each coming to mean the world to the others. They understood that they were all the family they had and had come to sincerely love one another. This resulting love had tied the three in a unbreakable bond.

This bond, however, would not save him from being mauled over by Gaara if the desired item was not procured soon.

_I never should have volunteered this morning._

Poor Kankuro. He truly was a victim of circumstance.

* * *

_The morning had gotten off to a pretty good start. Temari hadn't physically threatened any of the guards, yet, and Gaara had a hint of a smile on his lips - this had garnered several awestricken stares-. Yes, it really had been a good morning._

_The three had sat down for an early breakfast, since Temari had an impending mission to attend to. Small chit chat was made while they ate a hearty meal of pancakes, sausage, eggs, bacon, French toast, oatmeal, cheese omelets, and freshly baked cinnamon rolls. _

_Well…he had eaten a hearty meal of all the previously mentioned. His sister preferred to eat lightly before a mission and Gaara never really had much of an appetite. Their loss as far as he was concerned. More food for him._

_Now it was his common practice to devote himself entirely to the meal he was eating. Nothing outside the sphere of his eating area really existed to him. This practice had led him to be labeled a glutton by his two siblings._

_So it came to be that, while zealously consuming his vittles, he got roped into doing one of Gaara's chores._

_Well, he really only had himself to blame. Temari had merely suggested it, he could have easily weaseled out of it by claiming he already had too much on his plate. They would have understood._

_But nooooooooo. He just had to be completely enthralled in his own little world, blind and deaf to all his surroundings. So enthralled that he merely nodded his head to any question thrown at him, readily agreeing to anything just so they'd leave him to his food._

_That was how he ended up cleaning Gaara's office._

_And that's how he found himself in his current predicament._

* * *

**"If you don't find it within the next five minutes, I'll **_**personally **_**make sure the rest of your life is a living hell." **These words, spoken harshly through clenched teeth, provided more than enough incentive for Kankuro to dash out the room as if the hounds of hell were at his heels. Which, in a matter of speaking, they kind of were. 

A fleeting thought managed to make its way through the haze of panic that clouded his senses. _I'm leaving everything to Sakura and Temari in my will if he kills me. Take that Gaara! _

With that last attempt at rebellion, he began his frenzied search.

* * *

**Elsewhere in Suna……**

_I wonder if he's noticed its missing _Temari paused to wonder _I hope that aide returned it as quickly as possible. _Shaking off all feelings of unease, she let indignation take over.

She shouldn't be feeling so guilty about doing a good deed damn it! The _only_ reason she had kidnapped it in the first place was just so the blasted thing could be cleaned. Her youngest brother was so fiercely protective of it that extreme measures had to be taken to insure good hygiene.Still, the blonde shuddered to think of Gaara's reaction if he found his 'precious' missing.

Seriously, who would have guessed that the all-powerful Kazekage could be so attached to a panda plushie.

* * *

An exhausted puppet master made his way back to his brother's office exactly four minutes and fifty seconds later, completely prepared to meet his impending demise. 

He hadn't found it.

As he pushed the door - the only thing between him and his future murderer- forward, all his previous gloom disappeared.

There before him stood a sight many would give their firstborn child to see.

Gaara was cradling his plushie as if it were a new born baby, alternating between squeezing it to death and murmuring soft reassurances to the inanimate object. A sweet, but mildly disturbing, spectacle.

Taking full advantage of the timely distraction, Kankuro slinked his way back out the door and to the safety of his workshop. Where he planned on spending the rest of his life. Far away from evil plushies and the psychotic shinobi who adored them.

_Stupid Sakura and her stupid plushie giving ways._

* * *

**In Konoha…..**

A pink haired kunoichi abruptly sneezed.

Shikamaru briefly looked up from the shogi board, "You know Sakura, they say every time you sneeze it means someone's thinking about you."

The roseate girl turned skeptical eyes towards her companion. "That, or Neji went overboard with the pepper……again."

Lazy orbs regarded the billowing plumes of suspiciously pepper-smelling clouds spewing from the kitchen. "Yeah, you're probably right. Hyuuga does seem to have an unhealthy obsession with that particular spice."

"_Seem?" _Sakura turned incredulous eyes towards her companion. "It's _obvious_ he has a problem."

With a noncommittal grunt, Shikamaru returned his focus on the game board. As fond as he was of Sakura, he did not want to spend the few moment he had with her discussing Neji's questionably mental stability.

After several attempts to restart the argument, all of which met with complete failure, the rosy haired female dropped the subject - for now - and proceeded to thoroughly crush him in shogi. Much to his consternation.

The aforementioned prodigy was completely oblivious to the conversation, and it's main topic. There were too many dishes around him that were in dire need of a peppering. So, with a diabolical grin - and armed with a ridiculously large, specially made, grade A pepper grinder - he dedicated himself to making _absolutely _sure every single bite of his meal would be properly peppered.

_It's pepper time._

* * *

**In the Hokage tower……..**

"……"

"……"

"……"

"……"

"When is this convention scheduled to occur?"

Relief washed over the features of the daimyo's messenger, she hadn't immediately rejected the proposal. "One month from tomorrow."

Tsunade templed her fingers as she briefly contemplated the situation. Looking straight into the eyes of the exhausted man, she made her decision known.

"You'll receive Konoha's answer in the morning, for now just relax and enjoy your stay with us." She smiled genially, the picture of hospitality. "You'll find yourself on the road again soon enough." Her proclamation made, she leaned back in her chair, a sign of dismissal.

The man looked startled, yet pleased, at her quick answer. He'd thought for sure it would be at least another week before he received any type of response. _Shinobi villages are nothing like civilian ones._ And with that thought in mind, he was escorted out of Tsunade's office.

As soon as the messenger disappeared out the door, the powerful blonde slumped over her desk, all previous traces of joviality vanishing. A concerned Shizune approached her.

"What's wrong Lady Tsunade? Isn't this a good thing?" The ravenet asked with a questioning look. "I mean it isn't often we get paid so much for doing practically nothing. Normally you would be _deliriously_ happy, insisting that this be cause enough for sake and a day off. So why aren't you?"

"Don't you see Shizune?" She responded with a troubled gaze. "The great and powerful daimyo of the Fire Country wants to hold a meeting with all of his allies _here._"

Her oldest apprentice still looked confused. "I fail to see why that's so terrible. I think it's an honor that he chose to hold it in Konoha."

Tsunade shook her head slightly. "It's a dubious honor at most. Why is he willing to pay so much? Have you asked yourself?" She turned to look out her window, uneasy eyes taking in the proud faces on the Hokage monument.

"Because we're the best of course!" Shizune stated with conviction.

"Precisely," the older woman said, "because we're the _best_. The daimyo's willing to pay so much because he feels he needs the best protection available to him. He's in _danger _Shizune. That's why he's meeting with all his allies, and _that's_ why he wants to hold his meeting in Konoha."

Tsunade saw the realization dawning on her features. "It seems the shinobi nations are not the only ones in conflict." She dropped her head wearily into her hands.

"The fighting is spreading to the civilian world as well," she lifted her head and fixed tired eyes on Shizune. "If we choose to grant the daimyo's request, we will be agreeing to aid him in his oncoming battles. If we deny him, he will deem us against him," she sighed heavily. "We're stuck in a no win situation. Either way we're going to get involved in the civilian fighting."

"The problems never end do they Lady Tsunade?" Shizune lay a encouraging hand on her mentor's shoulder. "What's our course of action going to be?"

Said blonde couldn't help but smile. She could always count on Shizune's unconditional support. _It'll all turn out okay _she thought. _With Shizune and Sakura by my side, any situation is resolvable._

It was true. Throughout her reign as Hokage both her apprentices had proven their worth time and time again. They were her advisors, her confidents, her ambassadors, her head medic-nin, her trusted spies, in short, her right hand women. Together they had kept Konoha safe during the war against Sound and the Akatsuki. Together they made sure every wounded shinobi was given a fighting chance.

They protected Konoha. They oversaw the hospital and ensured the health of the village's shinobi. They made sure Konoha maintained an adequate amount of strong allies. They.

Tsunade smiled fondly at Shizune, "I'll have to run it by the council first, but I'm pretty sure the answer will be yes. It would be foolish of us to make enemies with our neighbors."

And with that, she stood up with a flourish and slung an arm over the shoulders of a startled Shizune. "Now let's go get some sake! We're going to be filthy rich once the daimyo pays up!"

_I guess she's feeling better _she thought wryly. "Hate to burst your bubble, but we really need to head back to the hospital. You gave Sakura the day off, remember? That, added to the time spent on this meeting, has caused a huge imbalance between the number of incoming and outgoing patients. We have to get back now if we hope to have any chance of evening it out."

"I really despise you sometimes," Tsunade grumbled as she headed out the door.

Chuckling at the crestfallen expression on her teacher's countenance, Shizune responded, "I know Lady Tsunade, I know."

* * *

Awwwwww! Gaara loves his panda plushie! I know it might be a little OOC, but I couldn't resist! I had to do it! 

Anyway, I'm opening the voting polls for pairings. The definite Sakura pairing will be a moresome, but aside from that nothing's set in stone. Pairing can include any guy, as long as it's a character in Naruto. It can be a character who hasn't shown up yet - Suigetsu - , a character who's already been killed off - Kimimaru- , or an original character - like the Mizukage or something. If enough people are adamant about a certain character, I can make a convenient plot twist and bring someone back from the dead or something in someway.

Voting results will _not_ determine parings. I will, however, consider them when making my selections. Your suggestions will be deeply appreciated!

Until next time!


	4. Chapter 4

Well…..hehe……I guess I kinda…..sorta……..lied.

I didn't meant to, really I didn't! It just sort of happened. One moment I'm happily editing Mist Maiden, and the next I find myself furiously updating Forgive and Forget! Some sort of evil spirit seems to reside in my fingers, forcing me to work on this story despite my best efforts to do otherwise.

I'm really, really, realllllllllly sorry to the readers of my other story! I'm refuse to make any more promises to update it however. It _will_ be updated…………..I'm just not sure when.

**-** with an awkward clearing of the throat-

On with the reviews!

me-sakura-chan: Why thank you! I love pleasing my readers!

furryhatlover2543: Yes, poor Kankuro. I felt kind of bad for exposing him to that kind of abuse…….kind of. Glad you loved the update!

Leigh4: Thanks for the positive review! Don't worry, this story shows several signs of _forcing _me to continue.

Blizzie-chan: Heck yeah! Women are more than capable of maintaining positions of power. As for Gaara……I'm not telling.

StarlitBaby: Thanks for reviewing!

pinky101: Glad you think so!

cherryblossomlove760: I love them too! I'll keep your suggestion in mind.

FakeCompassion: I'm happy you like the story! It's okay if you're unsure, polls are going to be open for a while.

crazyevilgirl: Thank you so much! It makes me delirously happy to know Mist Maiden still has some fans. I'm a fan of Ibiki and Asuma so they may very well be paired with Sakura…..I'm not making any promises though.

Silent Kunoichi aka. Fiona: I probably will have some Shika/Sakura/Neji action. I'm not sure if it will be a pairing though.

Mageblood: There will be more of the golden trio, and the team seven males will play witness to it. I'm _really_ looking forward to those moments.

les-liaisons-dangereuses: I'm fond of both pairings, so I'm not sure what the end result will be. I also hate rushed fics, it usually makes the romance unbelievable. Glad you like the story and I'll do my best to keep my readers guessing.

Aslan'sWhiteWitch: Sakura will have a new team, unofficially of course. Glad you liked the chapter!

Katearah: I loved the mental picture I got from your review! Hilarious! I heard your prayers, so here's the update.

DarkAngelRakell: Thanks for your input!

Blue715: Don't worry, the guys will be possessive! Thanks, I'll do my best.

yukibozu: I agree, multiple pairings are the best!

narusaku4er: Glad you think it's awesome!

Harunosakua: Thanks! I'm happy when my readers enjoy my work.

* * *

"Work like you don't need the money. Dance like no one is watching. And love like you've never been hurt."

_Mark Twain_

* * *

**At the daimyo's palace…….**

Young lord Kenji viewed with troubled eyes the continuous lines of men entering the palace grounds. These were the men enlisting in his father's army.

It hadn't always been like this.

A mere three months ago he had been happily studying with his tutors, joyfully exercising his mind with the works of great poets and politicians. He spent his days in the company of his beloved books, not training with his father's soldiers.

He was a scholar, a man of words. He wasn't cut out for combat. He sighed wistfully, yearning for quieter times.

It was this pacifistic approach to life that aggravated his father. Kenji was nothing like the battle-hardened warrior the daimyo was, much to his father's disappointment. He didn't revel in staging attacks on his enemies, in building the perfect army, or in any other battle related activity. His nature was irrevocably peaceful.

Still he trudged on. He studied battle tactics, he trained in swordsmanship, he did everything possible to aid his father despite his conscious' cries for him to cease.

Why?

Because even he could tell the Fire Country was in danger. That enemies were closing in around them, and that their only chance at survival was the utter annihilation of their opposition.

Because no matter how much he loved peace, he loved his country more.

The azure haired boy turned away from his bedroom window and closed tired, chocolate orbs.

_I can't believe that in just four weeks father's going to declare war._

Four weeks.

Just twenty-eight days from now his father and all of his allies were going to declare war against the Land of Water.

In spite of the severity of the situation, he couldn't help the amused smirk that appeared on his lips. _It figures that fire and water should battle against one another._

As he continued on in his musings, he wondered at his father's choice of location for the meeting. Konoha.

Konoha, the Hidden Leaf Village.

Konoha, a _shinobi _village.

Shinobi had always fascinated him. Ever since he was a young boy, he had always been amazed at their awesome power. On the rare occasions when hidden villages opened their gates to the general populace, he found himself mesmerized at the skill and prowess they possessed in battle.

They seemed to thrive in combat, thoroughly enjoying pitting themselves against stronger opponents. They appeared to be on a never-ending quest to become more powerful, never passively resting for long.

They really were a people unto themselves. While they generally abided by the laws of the country they resided in, they made it abundantly clear that they were not subjects. They only respected power, refusing to recognize the authority of those they deemed beneath them - unless it benefited them of course -. They had their own governments, their own systems of punishment, their own way of life.

It was this independence that made them hesitant to become involved with any government. They did not wish to align themselves to any one country, knowing that doing so would mean less business with other countries. As a result of this, Kenji had seen very few hidden village shinobi despite his father's affluent position.

The few he saw, however, made him question the sanity of any politician who thought to control them with money or promises of social power. While they may experience success for a short period of time, ultimately the shinobi would murder them in their sleep - it was the most efficient way, less struggling from the victim -.

Shinobi from hidden villages possessed a streak of ferocity not found in their freelance brethren. To them, failure on a mission was not an option. Failure resulted in a loss of honor for their village, and that was something they would _not_ tolerate.

Still, while he thought all shinobi powerful, only the shinobi of Konoha truly left him speechless. Coldly efficient, harboring an unquenchable drive for success, they were the epitome of the shinobi world. They garnered the respect of their fellow hidden villages and inspired fear in all who dared oppose them.

That's why his father's choice of a location bothered him so much. Things had to be truly awful if his father only felt safe discussing his plans in Konoha.

His ponderings were cut short by the cries of his retainer.

"Lord Kenji! Lord Kenji, it's time for your lessons!" A flustered old man called from the courtyard.

With one last worried glance at the future soldiers, he made his reluctant way to the courtyard.

_Time stops for no man _he thought sardonically _but how I so wish it did._

* * *

"Ino," Hinata questioned hesitantly, "are those Sakura's clothes?" 

The blonde kunoichi momentarily stopped rummaging in the large trash bags she had stuffed said girl's clothes in. "Yes," she responded, slightly annoyed in having been stopped during her task, "they are. Now stop asking useless questions and help me sort this stuff out."

"I think what Hinata meant to ask was, what exactly are _you_ doing with _Sakura's_ clothes?"

Ino's head popped out of the bag again. "I thought it was more than obvious," she huffed exasperatedly. "Seriously, if you two don't stop asking such pointless questions we're never going to finish!"

The brunette rolled her eyes at her theatrics. "Well _Great _Ino, please explain it to those of us not gifted with your outstanding intelligence."

"Sometimes I wonder why I put up with you two," she replied. And, with a exaggerated show of patience, she proceeded to explain her actions.

"Forehead girl's wardrobe is an insult to women everywhere!" the righteous blond declared. "So, seeing as how she's always occupied with hospital duties, I decided to take on the challenge of giving her a new one!"

Ino struck a heroic pose, eerily reminiscent of Lee's and Gai's, with one foot planted on a trash bag and her right arm proudly thrust in the air.

Tenten and Hinata cautiously moved away from the now cackling blonde.

"And just _where_ do you think you're going?" Both girls froze in their retreat.

Sweating nervously, Hinata waved her hand placating. "No-Nowhere Ino. We weren't going a-anywhere."

Sensing impending doom if they didn't convince the blonde of their - nonexistent - innocence, Tenten added her assurances to those of her dark haired friend. "Yeah Ino!" She said with fake sincerity. "How could you ever think we'd abandon you!"

With a highly suspicious look in her eyes, the fair kunoichi grudgingly accepted their words at face value.

"Alright then!" she declared, "We have a lot of work ahead of us ladies! Let's shop shop shop till we drop!" Grabbing the two less than enthusiastic females by the hand, she proceeded to drag them out the room.

_Sakura's sooooooo going to love me for this!_

* * *

An emerald-eyed female sneezed violently. 

"I think I'm coming down with something," she moaned, reaching out to take the tissue Shikamaru offered her.

The tactician observed the kunoichi, and the pathetic picture she was currently painting. "Well," he stated matter of factly, "I've heard from reliable source that sleeping in the rain does tend to aid the development of sickness."

She glared at him. "Thank you, Shika, for your _overwhelming _sympathy."

Sensing the pink haired girl's irritation, he quickly sought to make amends. "I'll go brew you some mint tea, it should clear this away in no time."

That said, he beat a hasty retreat to the kitchen.

_Females...how troublesome._

* * *

Temari slowly blinked disbelieving eyes. 

"Naruto?"

The grinning blonde stood in front of her, clearly enjoying her reaction.

"Long time no see Temari."

Glancing around the clearing she and her team had decided to rest in, she saw the other members of team seven as well.

"Long time indeed," the stunned female replied.

"Are you headed to Konoha?" the fox asked conversationally.

The sand kunoichi couldn't help it.

She burst out into hearty peels of laughter, finding the situation hilariously surreal. Naruto, the Naruto who had been MIA for six years, was asking _her_ if _she_ was headed to Konoha?

Unfortunately, the rest of the people in the clearing didn't share her thought process.

To them it just appeared as if the sand nin had lost her ever loving mind.

"Eh, Temari. Are you okay?" Naruto's questioning, and slightly uneasy voice, brought her back to her senses.

Blushing slightly at the concerned glances of her team, and the wary ones of the leaf shinobi, she answered. "I'm fine, perfectly fine," she noted their skeptic looks.

Deciding to ignore the embarrasment still lingering in her chest, she forged on and answered his earlier question.

"Oh, and yes we are heading to Konoha," she elaborated at his inquiring look. "Several citizens in the villages surrounding Suna have been poisoned by a substance unknown to us. Since Sakura is an expert at solving these kinds of cases, Gaara ordered us to bring her a sample."

Team Seven visibly perked up at the sound of the kunoichi's name.

"How has Sakura been doing?" Kakashi asked, trying - and failing - to hid his eagerness.

He and his companions all but leaned in closer to hear her response.

"Sakura?" She was a little puzzled at their inquiry, they had never shown much regard towards the roseate girl before to her knowledge.

"She's doing wonderfully." A fond smile graced Temari's face as she thought of her surrogate sister. "Her healing abilities and power are on par with the great Godaime's, and it is expected by all that she will only become better with time."

One of the two male shinobi accompanying her further praised the medic. "Haruno-san is a extraordinary kunoichi," he sighed dreamily. "So thoughtful and caring, she's _wonderful_."

The male immediately sobered up when he felt the killing auras radiating off the Konoha males.

Chuckling softly at her fellow sand nin's near hero worship, Temari continued, "And as you can see, she's also gathered quite a following among the male population."

That was clearly not what they wanted to hear.

Sasuke's jaw was clenched tightly and his eyes had narrowed into mere slits.

The copy nin had unconsciously activated his sharingan and was boring holes through the unfortunate man's skull.

Sai's darkened features promised death, in the most painful way possible.

The kyuubi vessel's fists sporadically clenched and unclenched and his face was twisted into a fierce scowl.

**"**_**We're leaving,"**_ the Uchiha growled through gritted teeth.

He, along with the others, took to the trees at a furious pace soon after.

As she viewed their rapidly disappearing forms, the blonde nin found herself at a complete loss as to the source of their anger.

_Was it something I said?_

* * *

Sakura rubbed her faintly throbbing temples. 

In retrospect, cloud gazing on an overcast day far from shelter with no umbrella _hadn't_ been on of her best ideas.

_It's all that idiots fault _she thought angrily - and quite irrationaly-. _If he hadn't rubbed off his stupid habits on me, I wouldn't have been out there in the first place! _

The sickly girl felt perfectly justified in blaming the Nara. How dare he introduce her to cloud watching! Besides…..he wasn't around to defend himself, and she _really_ didn't feel like blaming herself.

With the first signs of a splitting headache still in full swing, she thought back to the reason for her - foolish - action.

_I wonder why I'm dreaming of them now _she pondered the absolute absurdity of it all.

It had been four years since she had even _thought_ seriously on them. And now, long after she thought she'd let sleeping dogs lie, she found her dreams _plagued_ by team seven.

Dreams of her laughing with them, healing them, caring for them. Dreams of them playfully teasing her, protecting her, _caring_ for her. Dreams she could do without.

However much these dreams bothered her, however, they were nothing compared to the ones she had most recently been having.

Lately, her dreams had taken a darker turn. Dreams that had formerly been filled with carefree comraderie were now filled with her tears and anguish.

She found herself battling against them, fighting desperately to survive. They attacked relentlessy, her pleas for mercy falling on deaf ears. Their crushing blows rained down upon her. Blow after blow after blow, rendering her body an undistinguishable bloody mass of cloth and flesh.

She shivered involuntarily.

_If the dreams don't stop soon _she thought morosely _I just may become an insomniac._

She had devouted several sleepless hours towards trying to discover the exact cause for these unwanted nightly apparitions.

Despite her best efforts, she could only find one _possible_ reason.

Sakura sighed, _I guess I haven't come to terms with the past as well as I had thought._

She lay a hand across her forehead, sending soothing streams of chakra in the hopes of abating the oncoming migraine. That had to be it, she could find no other cause. She hadn't truly forgiven her former teammates yet.

_Stupid heart _she thought irritably. _You just can't let it go can you?_

Deciding to ignore the ridiculousness of insulting her own body part, she continued nursing her aching head. _How long _she mused _just how long before it ceases to bother me?_

Feeling comfortably drowsy and uninclined to ponder further, she snuggled into the cushions surrounding her, one last passing through her sluggish mind.

_Later _she thought tiredly_ I'll think on it later._

* * *

This chapter was mainly just to introduce Kenji, an OC of mine. He's an absolute cutie that will play a big role in the action to come. He won't steal the spotlight! That belongs exclusively to Sakura. 

Polls are still open! Feel free to leave any and all suggestions, I love to hear them! Seriously, I have no idea who to pair her with. She will be paired with several people...I just don't know who they'll be. Help.

Thanks to all who reviewed! I love getting feedback, especially when I'm feeling a little clueless. I find it helps me gain my bearings and choose what direction to take the story faster.

Well………..that's really all I have to say.


	5. Chapter 5

**Sorry for the wait. I spent four days at a tournament…and several more recovering. **

**Boxing's brutal.**

**Heh…that's why I love it.**

**Anyway, updating's going to be a little slower now that the season has started. I'll try to write often, but I can't make any promises. There are so many tournaments and practice leaves me dog tired most days. **

**So to make up for the long wait that may or may not happen after this update, here's an extra long chapter!**

oxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox

**kazster**: They most likely will be included in the pairing. Thanks for voting!

**sakurastears**: Probably in the next chapter. I'm glad you think my story's interesting!

**FakeCompassion**: Happy you think so too! I like all the guys you named and - just between you and me - I think I'll include most, if not all, in the pairing. Oh, just so you know, your vote for Kiba inspired me to write the first scene in this chapter.

**cherryblossom279**: I'll try to update frequently - if coach'll stop being such a slave driver-. Most likely in the next chapter.

**furryhatlover2543**: Yup! You have no idea how much I'm looking forward to writing the scenes where extremely jealous guys witness Kenji adoring Sakura. I think I just might change the category, this story came out more humor filled than I had intended.

**XxShadow-Of-LiesxX**: I love this threesome! Shikamaru and Neji are definitely going to be included in the pairing, unless I completely go crazy and change my mind. Thanks for the feedback!

**StarlitBaby**: Glad my story makes you want more! Here's an update!

**DarkAngelRakell**: One more for Sasuke. I think they'll arrive in the next chapter. Sorry for the wait, their arrival is taking much longer than I had planned.

**les-liaisons-dangereuses**: Why thank you!

**Aslan'sWhiteWitch**: Thanks! Well, I was going to have her tear them a new one for doing that to Sakura, but then I changed my mind. Sakura hasn't really shown many people how she really feels about her team abandoning her, only Shizune and Tsunade know. She hid her inner pain and only spoke about the wonderful things her former team was doing - this'll be cleared up in future chapters -. So I took that and the fact that Naruto had done so much for Gaara into consideration when deciding on Temari's reaction. Don't worry, Sakura will definitely _not_ be all warm and fuzzy towards team seven.

**pinky101**: Thanks for voting!

**Moema**: Extremely glad you do! I'll update as fast as I can, but training kicks my rear at times. Still, I can write happier knowing I have interested readers like you.

**yukibozu**: Hmm…I really don't know. On a good day, I can have a chapter written in about two hours. On a bad day…well months go by.

**Blue715**: Thank you! Your vote is duly noted, I'll try not to disappoint.

**crazyevilgirl**: I think I may do that…I'll have to think it over some more though. Now that you mention it, it wouldn't be that difficult to turn it into that type of story……..hmm, this bears some consideration. Anyway, here's an update!

**rexroy101**: Glad you think so! Yeah, Sakura will be veeery drowsy in oncoming chapters. The scene where team seven is reunited is still in the development stage, so I can't say for sure what she'll think. Don't worry, Gaara will be involved - he is an absolute favorite of mine! -, he's a crucial element in several jealousy scenes I'm planning.

**WolfRainSS**: Thank you! I loved writing it, jealousy makes me smile. Hmm…I will think it over. Lucky Sakura….so many boys, so little time.

**BloodlustKunoichi**: I'm extremely glad you do! Happy readers makes for a happy writer.

**OmalleyFlowers**: One for Naruto. I'll attempt to keep it hetro…my muse may, however, change my mind.

**Coeur Casse**: Vote noted. Heck yeah, Sakura deserves to be adored! I'll update as fast as I can - it would be faster if coach could get through his head that four hour morning practices aren't necessarily better than two hour ones, how the freak can we train our hardest in the afternoon when we're still exhausted from training in the morning?!-.

**Kunoichi Petals**: I love all those pairing too! Here's the update.

**xxhyugasakuraxx**: Thank you, happy you think so! Shika and Neji are going to be included, Gaara is still being decided. I try my hardest!

**Knightlight-01**: Vote noted. They will have to do everything short of joining a monastery - and that's still being considered -.

oxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox

"Remember, when life's path is steep, to keep your mind even."

_Horace_

oxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox

Two shinobi made their way into a party store.

Neither seemed to be very happy about having to go in.

The ruggedly handsome of the two turned to his less than pleasant companion. He wasn't pleased with their current situation and he wanted to complain to _someone_ - whine was more like it, but Kiba would never use such a girly term for his manly woes -.

"How did we get stuck doing this?"

Unfortunately, his buddy was even _less _pleased with their circumstance. _And_ he was in no mood to put up with a whiney Kiba.

Chouji spared the sulking man a withering glare.

The canine aficionado quickly backpedaled, Chouji's wrath was not something to be taken lightly.

"Okay, I know _how_ we did but why did we go along with it?"

Wrong thing to say when the entire situationwas completely your fault.

Chouji's glare intensified. "I believe it went something like this," he snapped.

The Inuzuka watched nervously as his friend abruptly halted in the middle of the entryway, effectively halting the flow of people trying to enter the shop.

Said people quietly waited for the man to move on his own, _they_ certainly weren't going to tell him anything. Chouji practically radiated annoyance, ticking him off could be deadly.

What followed would prove to be one of the most unsettling, mentally scarring, experiences Kiba would ever go through.

Chouji coyly batted his eyelashes in an absurd, overdone, incredibly _girly_ manner. "Oh Kiba!" his, highly unbelievable, falsetto voice cooed charmingly. Kiba remained statue still as his friend moved towards his stunned form, said pal swaying his decidedly _male_ hips in an disturbingly near perfect imitation of Ino.

"Will you do me an itsy, bitsy little favor? Puwease?" The Akimichi pleaded in a lilting tone as he draped himself over Kiba's arm, looking up into the Inuzuka's eyes through fluttering eyelids.

Deciding his charade had gone on long enough, Chouji dropped his feminine act. Much to the relief of his traumatized audience.

Chouji's act had been a little _too_ accurate.

"_That's _why were doing this," he grumbled in slight disgust. "One look from Sakura - chan and _you _turned into complete mush."

Chouji was very fond of the rosy haired kunoichi, he really was. She was his closest female friend, after Temari - his girlfriend - and Ino - his teammate - of course.

Sakura was his food buddy. She was the one who he cooked and traded recipes with, the only one he _enjoyed_ cooking with. And she was the only one he trusted when it came to spices -the ingenious way she flavored salmon with mint nearly made him weep with joy-.

So, needless to say, his hostility was not directed at the roseate girl. He was just grumpy. Grumpy because he had somehow managed to get roped into helping Kiba decorate for the party tonight.

Normally he wouldn't mind, he enjoyed lending a helping hand to his friends, but he had several preparations of his _own_ to attend to.

The love of his life, a certain fair haired sand nin, was arriving tomorrow and he wanted to surprise her with a romantic evening. Something that was considerably difficult to plan when he was being dragged all over town by a clueless, colorblind Inuzuka.

_They really picked the wrong person _he thought, watching Kiba pair neon purple, turquoise, and mandarin streamers with pastel pink, baby blue, and soft yellow balloons.

He winced, _the really wrong person._

He reluctantly made his way over to the brunette, who had moved onto table decorations.

Really, really gaudy table decorations.

_Why me?_

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_Why us?_

Hinata and Tenten, each struggling under a veritable mountain of shopping bags, followed a merrily skipping Ino.

A merrily skipping _bagless_ Ino.

A fact that was noted by two irate kunoichi.

The weapons mistress, voice muffled by countless layers of purchases, griped mutinously to her fellow beast of burden. "Why are _we _the only ones carrying this junk? This whole thing was _her_ idea!"

Hinata shifted her towering load to one side in order to reply. "Good question," she grumbled, her arms slightly shaking under weight of the massive pile.

The object of their displeasure continued her quest for the perfect wardrobe, completely oblivious to the treasonous thoughts taking place against her.

For her ignorance truly was bliss.

Browsing storefronts, tossing huge quantities of clothing on the two at random intervals, she radiated with excitement, delighting in her self appointed task.

The same could not be said of her companions.

They were hungry - having missed out on breakfast and lunch because of the overzealous blonde - , in dire need of a bathroom break - Tenten had been holding it in for an hour and Hinata was walking in a strange zigzag pattern, proof of a bladder on the brink of exploding- , and they were both pretty sure that their _blisters_ had accumulated blisters in their long trek through the shopping district.

Their long five_ hour _trek.

Plenty of time to plot the murder of a certain female nin.

_Konoha's going to be short one blonde kunoichi pretty soon _Tenten thought darkly as she watched Ino prance around the mall happily _very soon_.

Hinata, usually relatively passive, was thinking along similar lines. Her silver orbs glittered in promise of retribution, a very _painful_ retribution.

Amazing how a full bladder can change a person's personality.

The unwitting blonde would soon find herself in a _very _unpleasant situation if she didn't make amends soon.

Too bad she didn't even know a problem existed.

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Gaara gazed blankly at the various documents cluttering his desk.

Somehow signing treaties was even _less_ appealing than usual.

Something he had previously though impossible.

Paperwork was the bane of his existence, an unpleasant task that haunted the majority of his waking hours.

After the morning's drama, however, he had found the chore even harder to accomplish. No matter how hard he tried to occupy himself with treaties, complaints, and other forms, his thoughts kept going back to a certain blossom.

Yes, the only thing that proved to be more omnipresent in his life than paperwork, were thoughts of a certain leaf blossom.

Sakura, his addicting headache.

She, however, was a nuisance he gladly tolerated. He often wondered if his enjoyment of her company was due to his sadistic streak. After all, the girl brought him nothing but unwanted complications.

He gave an internal shrug at that thought. _It's never anything I can't handle._

Shaking his head slightly to gather his wandering thoughts, he made another futile attempt at finishing his reports.

Predictably, the attempt resulted in failure.

_Even absent _he thought sardonically _she still manages to distract me. _The thought brought a smirk to his face. _Maybe it's time I pay her a visit. _He could use a vacation. And besidesit wasn't fair that _he_ should be the only one distracted.

_Now to come up with an excuse to visit. _He leaned back in his chair, pondering ways to get the elders' approval. As much as he wanted to, he couldn't just 'mysteriously' disappear. He _was_ the Kazekage after all.

_Hmm…assessing our allies strength?…no, they'd say sending Temari would suffice…aiding Konoha in their time of need?…no, they know the leaf's at peace right now…tell them I can't stop thinking about a certain beautiful, powerful, awe-inspiring roseate woman who I think may very well be 'the one'?…no, they never stop pressuring me to marry her if I told them that. _

He paused.

Would that really be such a bad thing? With the support of the elders, he could convince Tsunade to _force_ Sakura to marry to him.

A devious smirk made its way on his face. _Our marriage would be the perfect way to 'cement' political ties between our two villages._ The perfect way to tie the blossom to him forever.

He closed his eyes and imagined telling the kunoichi the wonderful news.

His smirk promptly vanished.

_What the __**hell**__ was I thinking? She would __**kill **__me. _

No, she would consider death too merciful. She would beat him to a bloody pulp, heal him, then start the process all over again. Over and over until her blood lust was _somewhat_ appeased.

Why?

Because Sakura dislike being forced into things.

She disliked it a lot.

Shaking his head to clear it of gruesome images - images involving his mangled form with a demonic Sakura towering over him - he returned to his previous task.

_Can't use that…reinforcing our alliance with the leaf? _He smiled - well, smirked-.

Yes, that would work. The elders were sticklers about such matters, something he never failed to take advantage of.

His reason for leaving justified, he returned to his paperwork. He found this task, which had been near impossible to accomplish earlier, remarkably easy to do.

Fascinating how an oncoming visit to his favorite pink haired female, and thoughts of Kankuro doing _**his **_paperwork during this visit, improved his work ethic.

What can I say?

A happy Gaara is a productive Gaara.

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'_Where am I?'_

_Sakura studied her surroundings carefully. Internally she cataloged every distinguishable characteristic of the terrain, trying to match it up with any of her memories of foreign territories._

_Nothing was lining up._

_Of course the dimming daylight and the lack of distinguishable characteristics around her certainly weren't helping matters any._

_The area was a wasteland, nothing but craters, piles of rubble, dead vegetation, and massive boulders could be seen. _

_The land looked dead._

_The land's beauty, however, was not the most pressing issue. Judging from the heavy rain clouds overhead, finding shelter was._

_'Why is the weather always against me?' Sakura huffed angrily, mother nature seemed to have some kind of grudge against her. A rather big grudge._

_Unluckily for her, bad weather would not be her only problem._

_Rocks, of various shapes and sizes, littered her area, obstructing her path and slowing her down considerably. A fact that darkened the mood of an already foul tempered Sakura._

_'My life freakin sucks,' she thought morosely._

_The sun was quickly setting, making shelter an even more pressing concern. The close proximity of several animalistic growls made her anxious for the relative safety of a campfire. A gigantic campfire inside a nice dry cave._

_Yes, that would be the ideal sanctuary. _

_Now to find it._

_She picked her way carefully through the maze of debris, mindful of the sharp edges that existed on practically everything. Needless to say, it was slow going._

_Still she persevered, grateful that she could at least make out where the boulders and their smaller cousins resided._

_This was not the case for long._

_Sakura soon noticed, to her dismay, that the rocks were merging with the shadows. Hiding behind the shroud of darkness the rapidly approaching night provided. Sneaky bastards._

_Her pace slowed to a snail's crawl. _

_'Fitting,' she thought moodily, 'that the Snail Mistress should move at their speed.'_

_Her inner musings were soon interrupted by the arrival of four figures._

_Four figures with massive auras. Auras filled with murderous intent._

_Sakura quickly fell into her battle stance, every hair on her body standing on end. 'What now,' she thought, fear prickling the edges of her mind._

_The quartet moved swiftly across the land, not hindered in the least by the rubble strewn ground. A direct contrast to her own fumbling movements._

_The kunoichi stayed frozen in place, indecision temporarily paralyzing her. _

_'Fight or flee? Fight or flee?' The mantra repeated itself continuously in her mind as her panicked brain tried to make a choice._

_The choice was soon made for her._

_One of the figures charged her, viciously swiping a kunai across her side._

_The weapon made contact._

_'Fight it is,' grim resolve settled within her as she help her heavily bleeding side. Her pervious panic drained away. There was nothing she could do to escape, so why bother worrying about it?_

_She reached towards her shuriken holster, completely prepared to retaliate._

_Her fingers brushed against empty air._

_Panic was once again dominant in her system. She quickly searched the other weapon spots on her body as she continuously dodged the blows of the four enemy nin. She searched spot after spot, fervently praying that at least one of the reassuring objects would be there._

_Nothing._

_She was given little time to mourn her misfortune, a wave of shuriken was coming was quickly coming towards her._

_'Crap!'_

_Sakura dove to the side, savagely smashing her right knee against a boulder in the process. Completely disregarding the painful throbbing, that was now coming from both her knee and her side, she picked herself up quickly. After all, the four wouldn't stop attacking just because she was injured. They would just attack harder._

_Favoring her left leg, she hobbled as quickly as she could behind a group of rocks. She needed time to regroup and form some typed of battle plan, she couldn't evade their attacks forever. _

_The lack of light was proving itself to be her best ally. The four hadn't seen her escape, the dark effectively covering her retreat. As long as she remained close to the ground and timed her movements to coincide with theirs, she remained undetectable. Something she took full advantage of. _

_Despite her success, she wasn't foolish enough to think it would last for very long. They were combing the area, meticulously searching every crevice. They would find her soon._

_She went through her options, her rather limited options. _

_She was outnumbered, so she had to keep her distance if she hoped to have any chance. That ruled out hand to hand combat._

_She had no weapons, so any type of sniper offense was ruled out as well._

_That still left her a wide array of genjutsu attacks and she could use her superhuman strength to create some traps - i.e. deep craters -. _

_She nodded sharply. She still had a shot at beating these guys, she just had to outsmart them._

_Just as she was gaining confidence in her strength, her pep talk came to an abrupt stop. _

_There were two swords sticking out of her stomach. _

_'Wha-?! How did they get so close?' She wasn't an inexperienced genin, she should have noticed them. _

_Forcing herself to ignore the waves of pain, she reluctantly lifted her agonized eyes. There in front of her stood her assailants, four hooded figures. Four hooded figures she still couldn't sense._

_'What are they?' Her tortured mind, called brilliant by many, could not comprehend this. She was an expert at genjutsu, so she could see through most barriers with relative ease. And right now she was trying her hardest to sense them. And failing._

_For her not to sense them, they had to be something just short of gods._

_Any confidence she had promptly evaporated. Who had she been kidding? She could do nothing against this type of power._

_They steadily approached her, seeming to be in no particular hurry to reach her. She didn't blame them, it wasn't as if she could escape in her condition._

_Sakura reached for the swords imbedded in her, desperate to have any sort of defense. Despite the snowball's chance in hell she currently had, she was determined to at least put up a decent struggle. She would not go down without a fight damnit!………no matter how hopeless her situation._

_She firmly tugged the bottom sword, fighting against the immense torture the action put her through. Slowly but surely, it came out with a nauseating slurp._

_Shakily making her way to her feet, using the sword as a crutch, she attempted to look intimidating. She held out the sword, using the rocks behind her as support in its place. Judging by the chuckles coming from one of them, however, she was not successful._

_Anger at the enemy's disrespect had just started to sweep through her body when they suddenly attacked._

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"_Sakura!"_

_No! No! Leave me alone! _

_**"Sakura!**"_

_Stop calling my name! You have no right!_

_**"SAKURA!"**_

She woke up with a start, her head colliding with a firm chest.

She quickly shoved the body away, fear fueled limbs channeling more strength than normal.

Sakura rapidly stood, terrified eyes scanning her surroundings for an exit. _I have to get out of here while I still have a chance _her frantic mind thought.

Finally finding a door, she lunged towards it.

Only to be tackled soon after.

"Get away from me!" She fiercely struggled with her attacker. "What did I ever do to you?!"

To her surprise, the attacker made to attempt to….well attack her. The person seemed to be just trying to restrain her.

"Sakura, listen to me," a worried male voice pleaded.

The voice seemed to be coming from somewhere on her left. She turned her head in that direction, the voice seemed so sincere and gentle. It was not a voice of an attacker.

"It's us Sakura, your best friends."

_Best friends? _

Eyes that had been previously blinded by fear and panic, finally cleared.

A concerned Neji stood to her left…in her living room.

_If Neji's over there, that means…_yup, a battered Shikamaru held her in his arms.

The bruised Nara looked down at her with gentle eyes, not seeming annoyed at all with her undeserved attack. "Are you okay now?" His inquiry was worried.

She smiled tiredly up at him, "I'm fine Shika, just had a bad dream." _I'm safe…they won't let anything happen to me._

He picked her up, cradling her gently in his arms as he made his way to the couch. He sat down , positioning Sakura comfortably on his lap. She clung to him, some residual fear still in her making her incapable of letting go.

The couch dipped slightly as Neji joined them. He reached over, arranging her legs over his.

"It's okay Sakura," he whispered tenderly stroking her legs, "we're here now."

Shikamaru hugged her formtightly, seeing her in such a state of terror had shaken him. He silently vowed to discover what had caused such fear in the normally fearless woman. He would destroy it, whatever or whoever it was. _Nothing _harmed his special people, _**nothing**_. "And we don't ever plan on leaving."

They stayed like that for hours, Neji's peppered meal completely forgotten.

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If things go as planned, team seven will arrive in the next chapter. If things go as planned…

Thanks to all my wonderful reviewers! You guys are what makes writing worth it!

Later.


	6. Chapter 6

**It's been a while…a **_**really**_** long while. **

**It wasn't my intention for it to be so long till my next update, honest! **

**Life just seemed to be against me updating. Two-a-days have been going on for boxing and summer band has been in full swing, that along with other crud had seriously cut my spare time short. Very, _very_ short.**

**That on top of my poor bruise ridden, aching body that is constantly abused in both practice and in tournaments, makes updating a real hassle.**

**But enough of my excuses, on with the story!**

**First, though, are responses to my awesome reviewers.**

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**furryhatlover2543: **Why thank you! I always liked the idea of Chouji and Temari being together, don't ask my why I have no idea.

**Clue33396**I'm glad you like the Neji/Sakura/Shika thing I'm attempting to pull off. I often feel I'm ruining their personalities when I write their interactions, it's nice to know someone enjoys them.

**yukibozu**I knew I was risking Shika's character when I wrote that possessive/protective bit, but I couldn't resist! I love the idea of everyone's favorite genius being so concerned about Sakura.

**AkuAkumu**Oh, believe me I have several interesting scenes planned that will star team seven (and their jealousy). Those boys will have their hands full warding off love struck fan boys. -evil smirk-

**Shocks19**Thank you! I attempt to keep my mistakes to a minimum but sometimes some of the little buggers escape my notice.

**harunosakua**I enjoyed writing the comfort scene, the fluff was just so heartwarming! And yes, the world's most adorable panda has wedding plans he hopes will come true.

**hiddenleafscherryblossom**I'm glad you love it! I plan to keep the pairings vague for a while, gives me a chance to decide.

**Sakura-and-anyone-but-Sauske**Overjoyed that you enjoy my fic! I think they're adorable too, who doesn't? The Neji/Shika duo is irresistible!

**LittleFoxDemon**Your praise makes me blush! Your right, nightmares like that suck…a lot. Naruto and the others do come in this chapter…their arrival is not that detailed though, that comes in the next chapter.

**lullabycharmer**Thanks! I really enjoy Sakura-centric fics too, something about all those boys chasing after her just makes me keep on reading. I do plan on keep pairings murky for a good while (mostly because even _I'm_ not sure who she'll end up with). As to the amount of people I plan on pursuing her? I say the more the merrier!

**cherryblossom279**In the next chapter I promise! They arrive in the village in this one, they just don't see Sakura.

**XxShadow-Of-LiesxX**Mine too! Here's an update.

**S2-SAKURA-S2**Happy you like it! Personally, I'm leaning towards a Sakura/everyone right now but I constantly change my mind…a troublesome trait (couldn't resist putting a little Shika in this). It is hard to choose, it gives me a headache just thinking about it.

**Fukyuu no Tenshi**Glad you think so! They'll meet in the next chapter for sure.

**MistressBlossom**Well, this update is a _little _late. Sorry, but I hope you enjoy it nonetheless.

**Coeur Casse**I'm thrilled that someone enjoys reading the Gaara scenes as much as I enjoy writing them. Gaara it just too cute. Yeah…I think I _might _know who your rooting for.

**FakeCompassion**Heck, _I'm_ glad you inspired me. Especially then, I was suffering from a mild case of writer's block. Your right, everything comes better in pairs right?

**Gothic Saku-chan**Sorry for the long wait. But here - at long last- it is!

**WriterPoet**Thank you! If I've sparked your interest then I've done my job.

**les-liaisons-dangereuses**I think so too…I'm just too lazy to get around to doing it. I plan on changing to humor soon…but my slacker tendencies might get the best of me. I'm happy you caught my little hints towards a Neji/Sakura/Shika thing, those three _fit_ well together don't you think? Thanks for the luck, it's nice to find people who don't want my brains to be bashed in.

**DarkAngelRakell: **Thanks! I strive to please.

**Leigh4: **Heh, I can't wait to _write_ that scene. Jealousy is such a great muse.

**Aslan'sWhiteWitch: **She won't have a breakdown per say, but she will have several troubling thoughts. I'm sorry to disappoint, but they won't meet in this chapter. They will in the next chapter though, I promise.

**Hinansho: **Their one of my favorite threesomes too. Glad you like my fic and I'll try my hardest to keep it interesting.

**crazyevilgirl: **I'm happy you volunteered it, if you can think of anything feel free to share. I'm very open to suggestions. Thanks for the love!

**pinky101: **Glad you loved it! Sorry you had to wait so long for this chapter, hope it doesn't keep you from enjoying it.

**sandshinobi4eva**Sorry this chapter was later rather than sooner. Never fear, Neji is a _very_ strong contender in the fight for Sakura's heart.

**renkei-gaaralover**Shika will most likely end up with Sakura in some way or another. Just exactly _what _way I'm still unsure on. Ecstatic that my fic inspires such positive feedback from ya.

**sarcastic melody**Your awesome for reviewing! Sorry the update is so late, but you no longer have to be in suspense because here's the next chapter!

**Prinncess45**Glad you think it's good! I loved writing Gaara, he's just so freakin adorable! Here's an update…it just wasn't soon.

**Silent Kunoichi aka. Fiona**Yes it would, it would be both sucky and creepy. With those two by her side, nightmares better watch out!

**Vesper chan**Thank you! More will be introduced, just exactly how many I can't say. Believe me, I'm really looking forward to their reunion as well. I have a thing for jealousy scenes. As to her reaction, I can only say that I will put a lot of thought and consideration into it. Sorry it took sooooo long for me to update, my schedule is just really sucky right now. _Really_ sucky. Your vote for Neji and Shika is duly noted.

**quivering quill**A million apologies, I fully intended to update soon…life - much to my dislike - just had other plans. Team seven does belong together! I'm not promising they'll end up as a couple thought, I haven't decided that yet. Joyous that you love my fic!

**Goatis**Happy my story sparked your interest! I can never resist making Sakura the center of attention when the opportunity presents itself. Friendship for now…the future might be another story. The dreams will play a significant role, just what that role is will remain a mystery for now. I'm glad you my little humor scenes, I enjoy writing them. The interactions between the Konoha nin are just endless, and I find it a pleasurable challenge to imagine them. The reunion is coming up in the next chapter, prepare for the drama!

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**_Success is counted sweetest - By those who ne'er succeed._**

_Emily Dickinson_

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_Sweet kami…_

_Nothing_ could have prepared him for this. Nothing.

There, before the stunned eyes of Lord Kenji, lay a field of corpses.

Mounds of bodies were strewn all across the once peaceful meadow. The bodies that formed mountains of ungodly proportions. Mutilated bodies that scarcely showed any semblance of once being human.

_What in heaven's name happened to them._

Mangled limbs twisted in grotesque angles, faces were permanently set into masks of unimaginable anguish and terror.

The once men resembled damned souls.

Souls condemned to perpetual torment.

Fighting back the overwhelming urge to vomit, he shakily dismounted his horse. His reluctance clearly showed in the awkwardness of his jump.

He landed with a sickly squelch, his boots sinking into a marsh of blood and human tissue. His urge grew stronger. Despite his increasing nausea, however, he trudged closer to the massacre. He had orders to follow.

_Did father suspect this?_

Most likely. Little escaped his father's notice, especially if it pertained to him. The daimyo possessed the uncanny ability to foresee several, if not all, events that even slightly affected his domain.

Steeling his features, he carefully molded his features into the indifferent façade that had been instilled in him since birth. A noble, after all, _always _had to maintain an air of apathy. Any show of emotion was seen as weakness and weak nobles never survived long in the cutthroat world of politics.

Caring could be deadly.

In spite of his cool exterior, however, he inwardly grimaced at the task before him. He had to identify the bodies and determine their cause of death. _All_ of them.

As he took in the grisly scene before him, he silently raged at the idiots who had advised his father to appoint him to this job. His compassionate heart, his distaste for violence - and its aftermath -, and his inexperience in commanding large groups of men didn't exactly paint the picture of the perfect candidate. In fact, he was probably the _worst_ qualified person for this.

_The sooner I start _he resolved _the sooner I can leave this place. _With a vow to hunt down those responsible, he waded into the killing ground.

Adopting the commanding tone of his father, he barked out orders for the men to begin searching corpses and digging the graves for all the bodies. His soldiers promptly moved to follow orders, inwardly questioning the strangeness of his second request.

He brushed off the silently inquiring gazes of his men. _Let them think me softhearted _he thought _I refuse to let these men rot unburied like mere animals. _These may not be his men, but he would ensure that they received a proper burial. Apathy be damned, he would deal with the consequences of his actions - and displeasure of his father - later. Every human was entitled to the final rites, enemy or not. At least that's what he believed.

Orders issued he, along with his men, began inspecting the bodies.

They meticulously searched through the piles of carnage, looking for revealing seals and any and all other forms of identification.

Kenji sifted through the pile in front of him. _What the hell…_

He rapidly started going through the mounds around him. _Maybe it was just a fluke. These others are probably different. _His attempts to disprove the earlier 'fluke' were quickly defeated. It wasn't a fluke.

He roughly ran his hand through his already disheveled hair. _What in hell's name __**happened**__ here?_

This was not normal. Hell, this shouldn't even be possible!

The skin on all the bodies was completely unblemished.

Not a single wound to be seen.

_But…there's blood everywhere._

Indeed, the only thing wrong with the bodies were their terrified features and their unnatural contortion.

_Perhaps it's not their blood?_

But then, where had it come from? Were there more bodies somewhere else?

Kenji's bewildered ponderings were interrupted by the call of one of the men.

"Lord Kenji, you should take a look at this."

The unease in the battle-hardened soldier's voice compelled him to quickly make his way there.

_What the __**fuck**__ is going on?_

The body before him - the only one with an injury so far - answered the question of the blood's origin, but it raised several more. And sadly, those with the answers were incapable of doing so.

The stomach had been torn open, leaving the body's interior visible to their eyes. An interior completely void of…everything.

**"My Lord! Behind you!"**

At the man's frantic cry, Kenji immediately dove to the side. He turned back to face his opponent, completely prepared to battle.

The sight of his attacker, however, rendered him incapacitated.

It wasn't any of their known enemies.

_**…It wasn't even human.**_

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**"Where the **_**hell**_** are all my clothes?!"**

A confused, and angry, Sakura tore through her closet, drawers, and anywhere else she may have placed her wardrobe.

Nothing.

The ravaged room had no traces of the missing wardrobe.

Shikamaru and Neji had, in a panicked frenzy, rushed upstairs at her cry. The sight that greeted them, however, made them regret their hasty decision. Indeed the deranged kunoichi, who was doing an impressive impersonation of a human tornado, made them eager to head downstairs, at the quickest pace possible.

**"What are you doing just standing there?!" **Sakura turned furious eyes towards the two. **"Help me look!"**

With an audible gulp, the two shrank back in fear.

Scary.

The two nervous males exchanged sharp, furtive glances. Each trying to nonverbally threaten the other into confronting the rampaging blossom.

Unfortunately for them, the glances didn't go unnoticed. Sakura caught them, an act which caused an unpleasant aftereffect. The anger that had previously been coursing through her veins, quickly transformed into rage.

**"I'm not crazy!"** The wild look in her eyes warned them otherwise. Not that they would point that out to her of course, they valued their lives too much.

Shikamaru, the brilliant tactician that he was, quickly devised an escape plan. Delicately clearing his throat, he leveled his best regretful face. "I'm sorry Sakura, but I can't stay. I told Chouji I'd help him with the food for tonight. Good luck though, I'll meet up with you two later at the party." That said, he cautiously, but rapidly, left the room.

What he had conveniently forgotten to mention was that his teammate had promptly turned down his offer. Something about him being too lazy to properly attend the food. Whatever that meant. _Ah well, what they don't know won't hurt them._

Neji glared at the retreating Nara. How dare he abandon him like that! _That spineless coward! _He was, of course, immensely jealous of the genius. Shikamaru had a knack for getting himself out of difficult situations, most likely an adaptation developed after such a long acquaintance with a certain troublesome pink haired female. Lucky bastard.

Resigning himself to his destiny - fate ,it seemed, had it out for him - he turned to the enraged roseate woman. _I'll get you back for this Nara. _Flames radiated off the wrathful nin._ I swear it._

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"Do you think she's noticed their missing yet?"

The female Hyuuga turned to her brunette friend with an anxious look. "It has been a long time Tenten, I have a bad feeling that she knows."

That was not what Tenten had wanted to hear.

"Crap!" The alarmed weapon's mistress looked back at a battered Ino with a heated glare. "This is all _your_ fault!"

The blonde, with a pitiful look on her face, made a feeble attempt to defend herself.

"I did it out of the goodness of my heart!" She cried, the sound muffled by the mountain of purchases in her arms. "This was a labor of love damnit!"

"Love of shopping perhaps," Tenten muttered, completely unconvinced by Ino's theatrics.

Hinata, however, was another story.

The female Hyuuga still felt some residual guilt from beating the blonde to a bloody pulp. Sure, at the time her vision had been clouded by blood lust, but that still didn't justify her actions. She was a kind-hearted person by nature, quick to forgive and lend aid to those in pain.

All the previously mentioned reasons made her the perfect person to fall susceptible to Ino's pleas for sympathy.

"Don't be too harsh with her Tenten," the Byakugan wielder defended, while viewing Ino's shaking knees with soft eyes. "She was just trying to do a good deed."

Said brunette snorted derisively.

"Good deed? Don't fall for her little act Hinata. She's been after Sakura for ages, trying to mold her into some type of Ino-clone. She's offered to redo Sakura's wardrobe countless times, but Sakura's refused. I'm guessing this pissed our blonde friend off, so she kidnapped us, by scaring us into submission, and took us on this little expedition just to tick off Sakura."

Ino's panicked look confirmed her accusations. Accusations that the brunette hadn't been sure were true.

"I can't believe you Ino!" Tenten stormed towards the hapless blonde. "All this just to get one up on Sakura in the stupid ongoing war you two insist on continuing!"

Hinata, fearing for Ino's health, intercepted the kunai-wielding, flame-breathing Tenten. An incredibly brave, and foolish, thing to do. "Calm down Tenten-chan," she hoped the added endearment would win her some leeway, something she desperately needed.

"Sakura's wardrobe _was_ a little lacking. She might be a _little_ mad at first, but I'm sure she'll eventually appreciate the hard work we put into finding her nice outfits. _Especially _since she's always too busy to do so herself. Ino may not have done this with the purest of intentions but some good still came out of it, so we really can't be _too_ mad at her."

Cautiously peeking out from behind the protective Hyuuga, the cowering blonde deemed it safe to add her two-bits to the conversation. "Y-Yeah Tenten. I'm really sorry for dragging you two into this but" she added with a smug grin, "you have to admit that the outfits we found **rock**."

"You're impossible," the words however carried no bite, due in large part to the slight smile Tenten now sported. Sure the blonde was infuriating at times, most times, but she did have a killer sense of fashion.

Feeling considerably calmer, she heaved some of the load Ino was carrying into her own arms. Studiously ignoring Hinata's approving gaze, and Ino's triumphant one, she walked to the head of the group. "Let's get these to Sakura's closet before she decides to go on a killing spree…with us in mind."

An involuntary shiver went up all three of their spines. The roseate girl's anger was not a force to be taken lightly…or at all preferably.

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_What the hell did those four have for breakfast?! Jet- fuel?_

The quartet appeared to be merely flashes of color, nearly undetectable even to her highly trained eyes. The panting sand nin struggled to keep them in her line of vision, a task made considerably more difficult by her own lagging teammates. If she could have spared the time, she would have checked on her exhausted companions. Their desperate gasps for air had her a _little_ concerned.

It really wasn't fair of her to push them this hard (_and _expect them to keep up), they were after all only freshly made chuunins. In fact, the only reason they were allowed to accompany her on this mission was their expertise in healing and their intention to train in the Konoha hospital, under the tutelage of a certain famed blossom medic. Something both seemed to be _deliriously _happy about.

Still, despite her wishes, the situation couldn't be helped. _She_ wasn't the one setting the pace. That honor belonged to four irrationally (in her humble _completely _unbiased opinion) enraged shinobis. The best, and only, thing she could do for them was to put up an unaffected front. Give them the illusion that she wasn't pushing her abused body past it's limit in the hopes that it would somehow help them deal with their own weariness.

Too bad the act didn't fool her. Her burning lungs made every breath a painful struggle and her ragged muscles kept spasming sporadically. _I'm not sure how much longer I can keep this up._

She, along with her unfortunate team, had been chasing the foursome since they had taken off from the clearing. That had been _hours _ago.

Thinking back on it, she really had no one to blame for their current situation but herself. She had after all been the one who decided to pursue them. Not one of her better ideas.

Still, who could blame her? The men practically screamed murderous intent. After sensing the rage that came off the male's in waves, she had decided to follow them. Just in case, they seemed a little unstable.

She didn't think they would attack Konoha or anything, but whatever - or whoever - had sparked their anger would need defending once those four pulled into town, for that seemed to be their destination. She normally wouldn't have cared (anyone foolish enough to stay and fight them instead of rapidly fleeing deserved to be thrashed) but since it was _her_ comment that had set them off, she felt a little responsible.

_Freaking conscience._

Yes, contrary to popular belief, she _did_ have a smidgen of caring in her being for those outside her inner circle. A fact that would shock most, if not all, the general populace.

Snapping herself quickly out of her inner reverie, she noticed that the four seemed to be going even _faster_. _You have got to be kidding me! _Her frazzled mind refused to believe what her eyes were seeing. It simply could not be. _We could barely keep up at the slower speed!_

Despite her disbelief however, the pace had accelerated. Shutting down all function of her brain that didn't pertain to keeping up, Temari grit her teeth and forged on ahead. _Sand nins are a sturdy breed _she told herself. _You __**can**__ do this._ She hoped for her sake, and that of her comrades, that her pep talk proved to be true.

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_Almost there._

A sinister grin made its way onto the normally jovial face of Naruto.

They would pay. No one, **no one** had the right to fawn over Sakura-chan without their express permission. No one that is, except them.

Yes, there was going to be hell to pay once they reached the village. Konoha males should know better, Sakura-chan was **theirs**. She belonged to team seven, and _only _to team seven. Their absence, it seemed, had been taken as a sign of them relinquishing their hold on their blossom. This was something they would have to promptly correct. It would not do to have others think they even had a _chance_ with their cherry blossom, not at all. His eyes darkened at the thought.

_I'd kill them. _

Raw possessiveness shone in his features. Any hand that touched _his_ Sakura-chan, that was not a member of team seven, would be mercilessly ripped off that person's body by him.

Sakura meant the world to him. She was one of his first friends, his first (and only) love, his anchor when he felt life was too much to handle, the only one to ever tend to his injuries and illnesses, one of the few who continually cheered him on, the only one he felt it okay to show weakness to, the only one he let hold him the few times he cried. In short, she was his most precious person.

The only reason he reason he tolerated sharing her with the others was because he knew she was just as precious to them. That and the fact that team seven functioned as a group, they could never be truly happy without each other. They were, in an odd and dysfunctional way, a family. The ties that bound them together were so interconnected that no start or end was distinguishable. They needed each other.

That was why sharing Sakura was possible for them, she belonged to _all_ of them.

But those other males were another story. They had no such ties. Judging by the menacing expressions on the others, he wasn't alone in his sentiments.

Any male foolish enough to court their cherry blossom would soon meet their grisly and untimely death at their hands. Hands that were more than capable of disposing any shinobi, no matter how high their rank.

Despite the rage and jealousy churning inside him, Naruto found that his surroundings were becoming more and more familiar with every passing second.

_Almost there._

The thought of being so near the object of his affections drove the blonde to increase his already breakneck pace. Finally, after long last, he would see his beloved blossom.

_Almost there._

He _knew_ this forest, he had often trained here as a genin.

_Almost there._

This was the main road. Only a few more miles and the gates of Konoha would be within their sights. It wouldn't be long now.

_Almost there._

There it was! The Konoha gate! Madly dashing towards the sight for sore eyes, he couldn't help the joy that mixed in with his darker emotions.

Quickly reaching his destination, he shouldered his way through them, completely ignoring the two guards. Having made his way through, he straightened out and got his first look at his home village in years.

_I'm here._

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Well…that's it for this chapter.

A purposely long chapter, intended to make up for the wait.

The awaited team seven reunion is the next chapter. So till then guys!

Later.


	7. Chapter 7

**I'm ashamed that it took me so long to update this.**

**I can't even blame writer's block. This chapter has been nearly completed for quite some time. **

**I just never had time to fine-tune it. **

**I'm very sorry.**

**But enough of my excuses, on to the reviews!**

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**les-liaisons-dangereuses: **I hope the reunion is up to par. I'm a little displeased with it myself, but I think it is fairly passable. Sakura's reaction in the next chapter, I think, will make up for her docility in this one.

**crazyevilgirl: **I love your enthusiasm! Thanks, I always wanted a servant to call my own.

**Corruption Inc.: **Yup, can't keep a good blonde down. Ino rocks.

**Corrupt Blossom: **Oh, you'll find you in the next chapter how they'll react to Neji and Shika. Team seven will _not_ be pleased.

**redbloodgoddess: **Sorry the update was so late in coming, sincerely hope you'll enjoy this chapter.

**Orihime Girl: **With so many supporters, I think I will include Shika and Neji in the pairing. Those two just seem to belong to the cherry blossom.

**BlueMi715:** I'm glad you think so! I try my best to turn out decent chapters so it's nice to see my efforts are not in vain.

**G A B S Lubs H I M: **I hate real life too, it's so freaking complicated. Never fear, Sakura will sock it to them…in the next chapter.

**furryhatlover2543: **Hah, I'm glad someone caught that. I thought it would make a funny transition. Sorry the reunion doesn't get much coverage in this chapter, it will be more in-depth in the next one.

**LittleFoxDemon: **At first, our poor cherry blossom will be much too surprised to think. However, once the shock is over, the boys will never know what hit them.

**cherryblossom279: **Sorry for the really late update. In my defense, life is a cruel mistress.

**pinky101: **Deliriously happy you think so! As for the quick update…well…umm…I'll try harder next time.

**lullabycharmer: **Heads are definitely going to roll…in the next chapter. This chapter was mainly dedicated to just getting them there.

**iSakuraHaruno: **Here is the next chapter! The team seven males _will_ be surprised, and extremely mad, when they see her again.

**Azianhikari: **I'm glad you find my fic interesting! I have several plots and twists in the works, so keep reading!

**Coeur Casse: **The boys finally arrive! The drama though, won't really start until the next chapter.

**Goatis: **Sakura's new wardrobe will _rock. _The boys, however, won't think too highly of it.

**DarkAngelRakell: **They will meet in this chapter, but nothing will really happen until the next one.

**gemmaa: **The reunion is a little cut and dry in this update, but it _will_ get more interesting later on.

**Gothic Saku-chan: **Yup, everyone's favorite fox demon has returned. Ino will live, Sakura will be very forgiving once she sees her new wardrobe.

**sakurastears: **They will meet in this chapter, but their interaction will be pretty short. All the anger, betrayal, and regret will appear in the next update.

**harunosakua: **Kenji is an oc of mine, he's the daimyo's son who appeared in one this fic's earlier chapters -I'm not sure which one-. Heck yeah! Sakura can be downright terrifying when she puts her mind to it.

**Shintenshin no Jutsu: **Vote duly noted. The normally cheery blonde can be just as -if not more- possessive as the rest of them.

**yukibozu: **The boys will witness the blossom with her two new boys in the next chapter. It will not be pretty.

**FakeCompassion: **Gaara, who I rather neglected in the last chapter, starts off this one. So rest assured that the adorable sand shinobi is a strong contender for Sakura's heart. I great to have another ShikaSaku convert! The grumpy, pineapple-head deserves to be loved!

**FujinAsuka: **Thanks for the compliment! As for the quick update…it's a little late.

**sarcastic melody:** Muwahaha! Yes, I _am_ evil. While the team does meet up again in this chapter, I don't consider it the _real _reunion. _That _will not happen until the next chapter.

**Addi-Cheeze and Bobby-Toast:** Here, at long last, is the next update! Hope you enjoy it.

**quivering quill: **Your suggestion was taken to heart. I included the thoughts of all the team seven males in this chapter. I liked the idea so much, that I think I'll try to include the thoughts of all Sakura's admirers in future chapters -as long as it fit's the situation of course-.

**moons requim: **Thanks! I did read your story, pretty interesting. I'm pretty sure I left a review, but if I didn't please tell me and I'll quickly rectify my mistake.

**Vesper chan: **If you liked Naruto's little scene, you'll _love_ the scenes of team seven in this chapter. Not much in the way of drama from Sakura towards the boys in this update, but there will be in the next one.

**BlackBelt: **Too true! Maybe they wouldn't have been so quick to leave her behind if they knew how many hot males were dying to take their place. No, Neji and Shika -as well as a few others- will _**not**_ be pleased at the reappearance of team seven. I too love those kinds of stories and men; something about a jealous male is just so irresistible. Here's the update!

**iFo0l: **Don't worry about me turning Sakura into a mary sue, I have too big a grudge against perfect people to do so. I'm glad you like the civilian war part of my fic, it -as well as Lord Kenji- will play a large role in the future. Extremely happy that you think my plot original and interesting, I struggled very hard to come up with it.

**Icecream Skittles Addict: **Pairings are still not set in stone, but I can tell you that it will be a multiSakura pairing.

**otakualways: **I heard your cries for an update, so here it is! Hope you'll continue reading.

**Miss Artemis: **After reading your review, I realized that I was kind of neglecting Kakashi and the other boys. So, wanting to set things right, I included his possessive thoughts in this chapter. The reunion is this update is a little bland, but consider it more like a preview of things to come; the _real_ drama will take place in the coming chapter. Just between you and me -drops voice to a stage whisper- the reappearance of at least one Akatsuki member, I'm not telling who, is in the works; that, however, won't be happening until quite some time in the future.

**dumbducky16186: **Glad you find my fic awesome!

**B'Atrix: **Why thank you! -voice muffled due to the towering mound of teddy bears in my arms- I hope you find this update enjoyable.

**kiene: **Never fear, NejiSaku moments _will_ increase in the future. Glad you liked the boys' reaction! It _is_ all their fault, the insensitive jerks.

**sakura5558: **Thanks for the review! Don't worry, I will continue this fic.

**Staring.Into.My.Empty.Eyes.: **Thrilled you think so!

**RavenStrike: **Ecstatic that you enjoy my story! Sorry the update is so late in coming.

**Moeru13: **Overjoyed that you like my fic! I love your "troublesome" quip, very Shika.

**Cerma-chan: **Love your review! It's truly the mark of a good author when you can drive readers to respiratory arrest. LOL

**mak0-ch1: **I'm always extremely content when I can satisfy my readers. A good review just makes me feel so warm and fuzzy inside -cheesy and sad, I know-. I'm glad you enjoy the quotes, I dedicate quite some time to finding them.

**QuicksilverWitch: **Thanks! You're right, there's just something so magnetic about fics with a Sakura-obsessed team seven. So possessive… -clears throat self-consciously- Well anyhoo, there's no need to dream any longer, the next update is finally here!

**Akiyuki-no-ai: **Glad you love it!

**-ShadowBabe-: **Well -drops voice to a sinister whisper- _**I'm not human.**_ LOL Just kidding, thanks for the awesome compliment.

**divine lies x3: **The love is much appreciated! Yup, possessive males are just so irresistible. Gotta love them.

**VeRnAgUaY: **Thrilled you think so! Sorry for the late update.

**Loragi: **I heard your pleas, so here's the next update!

**Karin Ochibi-chan: **Ecstatic that I could convince you to add my fic to your favorites! Don't expect much of a reaction from Sakura in this chapter; she'll be much too shocked. This next one, however, will show her in all her fury. Thanks for the cupcake; I'll have to get the recipe from you.

**-Kairi no Yuki-: **Extremely happy you love it!

**sailorcherryblossom: **Sorry I took so long updating. Here, at long last, is the next chapter!

**FuriousDeragonmaji: **Heh, they are a _little_ possessive aren't they? Just wait until the _other_ males enter the future, jealousy will abound.

**silverymoonfire: **The silliness will probably decrease a little in future chapters since my next couple of updates will be gearing towards more serious themes, but funny moments will pop up sporadically to lighten the mood. Glad you like my fic! Since you asked so nicely, here's the next chapter!

**Uchiha-hime:** That's right! Konoha males had better beware! Team seven _will_ get their due…just not in this chapter. The next update will have Sakura unleash her unholy rage against them; it's going to be awesome.

**Hell's Worst Nightmare: **Well I think _you're_ awesome for reviewing! Don't worry, this story refuses to be abandoned.

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**I realized that I had yet to write a disclaimer for this story.**

**So, to prevent anyone from suing penniless me, here it is:**

**Disclaimer:** _Naruto is not in any form or fashion the property of numberoneklutz. Even though she asks for ownership of this awesome masterpiece every Christmas, birthday, Valentine's Day, Arbor Day, etc…_

**There, I think that should do it.**

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"_Absence sharpens love, presence strengthens it." _

_**Thomas Fuller (1608-1661) English Clergyman, Author**_

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Kankuro cautiously peeked out his shop door. There wasn't a soul to be seen. _So far so good._

He was not taking any chances. After successfully dodging Gaara's odd, and completely unsettling, affections all day he was **not** about to ruin his perfectly good track record through carelessness.

No way in _hell_.

He had survived so far, and he planed to continue to do so. His fear, surprisingly enough, wasn't due to threats of a grisly death. Gaara wasn't trying to kill him this time. No, not this time. The evil bastard had something much more terrifying in his arsenal…_affection._

He loved his brother, sure, but they were freaking guys damnit! They weren't suppose to hug sporadically or reassure each other of their feelings! _Especially _not them.

The Great Gaara was known to the world as an emotionless, ridiculously powerful, and clearly _not_ effeminate warrior. He, Kankuro, was widely acknowledged to be harsh, manipulative, _and _downright **manly**. So why were they, two _clearly_ manly men, trading hugs like silly, love-struck schoolgirls?

He had no freaking clue.

And it was seriously freaking him out.

He briefly wondered if it was some new tactic of Gaara's to get him back for this morning. _Nahh, even he's not __**that **__cruel. _

There was no clear reason for his little brother's enthusiasm for PDA. None whatsoever. The only feasible cause the poor nerve-wracked puppet master could come up with was insanity. _Maybe all that paperwork finally pushed him over the edge…reports have increased lately…hmmm. _

No, that couldn't be. An insane Gaara was more prone to violence than affection; something else was to blame. Besides, the redheaded menace seem lucid…just…very, **very** happy.

Yes, ever since the morning's fiasco was resolved, the normally emotionally constipated male had been in a disturbingly good mood. The man was practically breaking out in show tunes every five minutes for goodness sakes! Well…maybe he hadn't _quite_ reached that extreme, but he wasn't far from it.

Needless to say, it had him scared shitless.

For his little brother to be so overwhelmingly happy someone, namely him, had -or was going to- experience extreme pain, insurmountable paperwork, or -his personal favorite- soul scarring humiliation.

That's why he was slinking around the hallways like an actor in a bad spy movie. There was too much at stake, he couldn't afford to be caught. Fervently hoping against hope that the old saying 'out of sight out of mind' would apply to him, he trudged on.

_Just a few more feet. _Only a bit longer and he would be safely outdoors. Safely in the arms of Mother Nature, who so kindly offered many escape routes.

_Maybe its time I took a vacation _he mused. _This _would_ be the perfect opportunity. _So what if he was retreating like a coward? This was Gaara! _Any_ **sane** person would retreat!

The dark, heavy, double front doors finally met his frantically seeking orbs. He was _sooo _close. Just a little more and he would be able to push open the doors of this madhouse. _Sweet freedom here I come!_

_Finally! _Kankuro eagerly reached out a trembling arm. _I can't believe I made it! _An ear-splitting grin appeared on his face._ My luck is __**never**__ this good! _Maybe fortune _hadn't _completely turned its back on him. Maybe he wasn't cursed to always, **always** have bad things happen to him. Maybe…

Any future thoughts were cut short as a wall of sand suddenly shot up front of him, roughly knocking him away from the door…away from his portal to safety.

He remained slumped where he landed on the cool floor, unwilling to face his demented warden. _I wonder if he'll go away if I ignore him. _It was worth a try…it wasn't as if he was _teeming _in options…

Three minutes passed and the plan, if the intense glare currently boring through his back was any indication, was proving to be a complete failure. _Well _that _didn't work._

Thickly swallowing the heavy lump that had mysteriously appeared in his throat -coincidently around Gaara's appearance- he warily raised his head towards his brother. His jovially **smiling** brother. _Dear sweet kami, what did I do to deserve this?_

"Hello big brother," he sang -yes ladies and gentlemen you heard right, _sang-. _Meeting the redhead's eyes fearfully, Kankuro replied hesitantly with an awkward, "Hello?"

Not seeming to notice, or care about, his older brother's terror, Gaara casually continued. "I've been looking for you all afternoon," his lips twisted into a teasing smirk. "Have you been hiding from me?"

Kankuro couldn't help the nervous twitch, product of his paranoia, at the disturbingly accurate guess. _He can't read minds…can he? _For his sake, he fervently hoped not. His thoughts of the redhead were just a _tad_ bit unfriendly at times. _It's okay, _he firmly reassured himself, _he doesn't suspect the truth. I just have to play it cool. _This task was much easier said than done. _Here goes nothing…_

The terrified sand nin inhaled a deep breath, in a valiant effort to steady his wavering voice, and rushed to deny the -absolutely true- accusation. "_**No!" **_he inwardly smacked himself at the blatant desperation lacing his words. _So much for playing it cool._ After slightly calming his frantically racing mind, he continued in a calmer -more believable- tone."_**No**_, of course not! Where would you get a crazy idea like that?" _There, that was much better. _

"From the staff. They heard you muttering something about psychotic, homicidal brothers; I assumed you were speaking of me."

_Stupid, gossiping, miserable little…_"I would **never** speak of you like that!" he cried in a completely shocked and offended tone. "I hold _you _in the highest regard, you know that." Kankuro couldn't believe the bull spilling from his lips. "It was _Temari _I was talking about; you know how freakishly strong and manly she is." _Sorry sis, but this is a life and death situation._

Looking completely unconvinced by the pathetic explanation, the Kazekage gave a noncommittal grunt and continued. "I just wanted to inform you that I will be leaving Suna for a few days."

Kankuro promptly threw an inner fiesta. _Whooooooohooooooooooo! No Gaara_! _No Gaara! It's my birthday! It's my birthday! _The continued rumbling of the redhead's voice, however, soon alerted him to the fact that the Kazekage wasn't through yet.

"You are in charge while I'm gone." _I could throw a house party to celebrate! _Well…no one ever said he was paying _attention_. To him, planning a party was infinitely more interesting than listening to Gaara outline boring official duties.

"Oh and Kankuro, before you start celebrating," _Crap, maybe he _**is**_ a mind reader, "_I want you to know that I expect _all_ this months paperwork to be finished by the time I return." Flashing his brother a soul-chilling, sinister smirk, he drawled, "You _won't_ like the consequences if you fail me."

With that, the redhead disappeared in a cyclone of sand…leaving behind a petrified puppet master.

_That. _

_Was. _

_**Fucking terrifying**. _

If Kankuro had been coherent enough to notice his surroundings, he would have realized that his pants had become a _little_ damp.

Yes ladies and gentlemen, the almighty Gaara is that scary. He can effortlessly make even the most seasoned of warriors lose their ironclad bladder control.

Pretty freaking awesome.

The unfortunate Kankuro, however, did not share in the general populace's amazement.

After his terror had reached a tolerable level, the puppet master wasted no time plotting his revenge. _I'll get you back for this Gaara. Just you wait. _Question was, how exactly do you exact vengeance on a ridiculously powerful, relatively unemotional, absolutely terrifying demon container?

He -still on the floor- sat stumped for quite a while, unable to think up a suitable retaliation. The perfect plan, however, soon hit him like a herd of stampeding buffalo. _Of course! _Why hadn't he thought of it sooner? _I got it! _Gaara wouldn't know what hit him. He would soon learn never to mess with the awesome Kankuro.

He would be merciless.

His payback would be swift and absolute.

The absolute deviousness of his plan almost left him feeling a little sorry for his younger brother…almost.

His diabolical scheme filled him with such joy that he couldn't help but gleefully rub his two hands together. _I can't wait! _He thought while a sly grin spread across his face._ Gaara's a goner once I tell Sakura! _

Yup, Kankuro was a tattletale, a very _crafty_ tattletale who happened to be under a certain medic nin's direct protection.

Poor Gaara.

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"So let me get this straight," Sakura growled through clenched teeth. "You," she pointed an accusing finger towards an abnormally meek Ino, "_stole _my wardrobe and then somehow convinced those two," the damning finger moved to the cowering forms of Hinata and Tenten, "to help you replace my 'fashion accidents'?"

The blonde kunoichi winced. _Maybe I shouldn't have been so truthful…my explanation seems so much worse when said out loud. _

_"_Not 'accidents'," she soothing assured the fuming blossom, "just 'oversights'. It's perfectly understandable, given your hectic work schedule, that you would lack the time necessary to put together a proper wardrobe. That's why we so kindly did it for you. You _can't_ get angry at us for doing something so thoughtful, now can you?"

Seeing that teamwork was their only chance at survival, the dark haired Byakuugan user decided to add her support.

"S-S-She's right Sakura-chan," she hesitantly agreed. "W-We didn't mean to upset you. We were just trying to make your life a little easier." She purposely left out the part about being forced to give said aid, no need for the pink-haired kunoichi to become even angrier with Ino. The blonde had already paid for her transgression.

Seeing that anger was still radiating off the irate female, the quavering Hyuuga leveled her best apologetic gaze towards the blossom. "P-Please don't be mad."

Sakura inwardly fumed. _How dare she be so cute and innocent looking! I have a right to stay angry damnit, and she's ruining it for me! _Too bad the damage had already been done. Unconsciously, she had already started unclenching her fists. Her fury was rapidly dwindling, despite her best efforts to maintain it. Hinata was simply too adorable to stay mad at. _Damn her._

Sensing the medic's weakening resolve, Tenten moved in for the kill.

Adopting her most timid, sickeningly sincere voice, the brunette further argued their case. "We even paid for everything ourselves." Actually, Tsunade and Shizune -once informed of Ino's plan- had covered all the expenses. Sakura, however, didn't need to know that. "We wanted to give you this as a gift for being such a good friend all these years. We can never repay you for everything you've done for us, but we thought this would be a nice start." _Please buy it._

Sakura turned reluctant viridian orbs towards the towering mounds of shopping bags littering her living room floor. _Well…I guess _looking_ at them won't hurt. _

"Fine," she replied brusquely," but I'll only forgive you if these outfits are at least halfway decent."

The frightened, disheveled, trio of shoppers flashed each other triumphant grins.

Raising self-assured sapphire eyes to the medic, Ino confidently responded. "Don't worry Sakura. I promise the clothes are _more_ than acceptable."

_In fact, _the blonde thought while inwardly snickering _they're sooo acceptable that you'll probably end up giving all the virile males in Konoha nosebleeds. _She, however, would keep _that_ little tidbit of information to herself. Sakura's expression when she discovered the effect her new wardrobe had on males was too precious to compromise. Even Shikamaru's anger was inconsequential in the face of the excellent entertainment this would provide in the future. In fact, Shika's jealousy would play a large role in the future drama she had every intention of having front row seats to.

While Ino was busy congratulating herself on solving her boredom problem, Hinata and Tenten were preoccupied berating themselves. Neji would _not _be happy when he saw the outfits. Well…he would be happy at first…until he realized that _other_ males would also be seeing her. And, of course, the Hyuuga prodigy would blame _them_.

In two different minds, all traces of former teamwork vanished. As far as Tenten and Hinata were concerned, it was now every man -or woman in this case- for himself.

In both their minds, one thought echoed.

_I'm blaming it all on Ino! _

Funny how fear can make even the most steadfast of friends stab each other in the back.

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Sakura felt good.

She felt _damn_ good.

The outfits had more than lived up to Ino's words. In fact, they were _so_ amazing that Sakura even felt a little remorse for giving the blonde such a hard time.

If she'd known _this_ would be the result…well, she would have been more understanding.

With a radiant smile, the roseate female lovingly examined the absolutely drop-dead gorgeous little ensemble she was wearing.

_Yes _she thought _I would have been a **lot** more understanding._

Hell, who was she kidding? She would have thrown Ino a mother-flippin parade, complete with a marching band and giant floats. The clothes were _that_ awesome.

_HELL YEAH! I'm freaking sexy! _

So what if she was gloating? The outfit rocked, and _she_ rocked because she was wearing it. Maybe she was being a little vain, but right now she couldn't care less.

The medic had reason to be proud of her clothes…they were the most devout fashion slave's fantasy brought to life.

The deep emerald skirt that encircled her waist was tastefully cut at an oblique angle, causing the hem to ripple gracefully just shy of her knees. The shimmering sliver threads laced throughout it only enhanced the richness of the skirt's color.

A silky, sleeveless, silver top complimented the skirt; a breathtaking top that enhanced her already generous cleavage by cinching at her tiny waist and subtly pushing her breasts up. It exposed a decent amount of her well-endowed chest, enough to tantalize, but not enough to label her a tramp. From her waist, the top ruffled down halfway the skirt in a cascade of delicate lace, swishing playfully at her slightest movement; movement that drew attention to her shapely legs.

Adorning said legs was an elegant pair of black, high heeled, ribbon shinobi sandals.1 The laces gracefully wrapped up her calves, stopping just four inches short of her skirt's hem. Her favorite jade bracelet and necklace combo and a dangling pair of obsidian earrings topped of the entire thing, subtly tying together the whole outfit.

Heh.

Men didn't stand a chance.

The poor, unfortunate carriers of the y gene turned into mindless piles of mush upon viewing such a powerful display of feminine beauty. No matter their previous actions -be it eating, talking, walking, or training- they immediately turned their entire attention upon the breathtaking female as soon as she came into viewing range.

Forgotten food fell onto shirtfronts, amiable conversations instantly morphed into awestruck silence, formally attentive pedestrians found themselves walking into stationary objects -like lampposts-, and kunai slipped from the boneless grasp of mesmerized shinobi.

Among these shinobi were a couple of familiar faces. Familiar faces that were _completely_ stunned at the blossom's appearance.

Sakura was very attractive, yes. Even on her worst days, she still managed to catch the eye of several, if not all, members of the male population. Hell, she even had her own _fan club _for crying out loud.

So yes, she was a very attractive woman who captured the attention of men on a day-to-day basis. Her former problem, however, did not lie in her looks; it lay in her dowdy daily wear.

Due to the fact that she spent about ninety percent of her time on duty at the hospital, and eight more doing paperwork for her shishou, she saw no point in fashionable clothes. She couldn't wear them in the operating room, so of what use were they?

This nonchalant take on dressing up gradually caused her once respectable wardrobe to become little more than an impressive collection of lounge clothes. No, lounge clothes was too generous a term, clothing even a hobo would reject was much more fitting.

Well…maybe it hadn't gotten quite _that _bad.

But it wasn't far from it.

Therefore, it's understandable that the males closest to her would be struck speechless from her transformation from a clueless, tomboyish fashion disaster, to a stylish, very put together _woman_. With the mind numbing revelation that, yes, Sakura _was _quite possibly the hottest woman they had ever seen, the male shinobi hurriedly left to cool their raging hormones with some training. They didn't trust themselves around the cherry blossom -who would _kill_ them for any lecherous comment or action- in their current condition.

The civilian spectators, however, had no such reservations. Sakura -duty bound to protect the village's non-shinobi residents- wouldn't hurt _them _for being lecherouswell…she wouldn't do any _permanent_ damage at least. So, with this comforting thought in mind, they swarmed the stunning cherry blossom.

It was in this circle of male adoration that her former team found her.

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Sasuke was furious.

No, furious was too light a term. He was fucking _**enraged**_.

_**How dare they **_fury raged through his veins in a scorching river. _**How dare **_**they**_** stare at her. **_

He felt his control slipping more and more every minute. His breathing deteriorated into a series of quick, ragged pants. An all-encompassing veil of red crept over his vision. _**Those **_**fucking**_** bastards.**_

Those males had no right, absolutely **no** fucking right to be looking at _his_ blossom.

He dimly felt traces of blood trickling through his tightly clenched fists but, at the moment, he couldn't care less.

There she was, the owner of his heart, the object of his undivided affection, the one person he would do _anything _for, being ogled by a horny group of undeserving males.

That, in his opinion, was reason enough to kill them; or, at the very least, permanently maim them.

No one had the right to stare at _his_ kunoichi except him -and, grudgingly, the rest of team seven-.

**No one**.

Those foolish men were going to regret ever laying eyes on team seven's treasured flower. That is…if they lived.

He had so few precious people left. He was **not** going to share a single one of them with anyone else, _especially _not Sakura. She was the sole ray of sunshine in his life, without her…he didn't even want to _imagine_ his life without her.

With waves of killing intent intensely radiating off him, he shot towards the soon-to-be-dead males. Despite the urgency of the situation, however, he couldn't help the malicious smirk that tugged the corners of his lips at the thought of those assholes in pain.

They deserved nothing else.

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Who the _**hell**_ did they think they were?

Sai's eyes narrowed dangerously at the sight.

_Only __**we're**__ allowed to leer at her._

So what if it was a ridiculous statement? It didn't make it any less true. Sakura belonged to _them_, and anyone who even slightly challenged their possession of their beloved blossom was in for a world of excruciating pain.

All would-be competition would receive nothing but a gruesome end, courtesy of them. Yes, all fools who even attempted to court or take away _their_ kunoichi would be promptly dealt with, in the most agonizing way possible.

Those males would rue the day they ever set eyes on his flower. They would soon learn to never again gaze upon their angel with such a blatant lack of respect.

_If_ he decided to be merciful and **not** gouge their eyes out. _Though _he mused _that would make any repeat of this impossible…_

A murderous glint shone in his obsidian eyes as he contemplated the numerous way of dispatching the lecherous idiots. Much to his annoyance, however, he couldn't settle on a method agonizingly painful enough.

_Oh well _a sinister shadow cast over his features _improvising is just as __**satisfying**_

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Kakashi's teeth clenched so tightly that his jaw was violently trembling.

He, with a subconsciously activated sharingan, glared murderously at the testosterone driven males. _They _he thought viciously _will be lucky to __**survive**_

He would make them **pay**. His cherished blossom was not some common tramp openly displaying her wares, so they had **no **business staring at her so intently.

In fact, they had no business even _breathing_ within ten miles of her.

They should know that cherry blossom was taken, that she _had_ been taken for several years now. _It seems _he thought darkly _that Konoha has forgotten just __**who**__ owns her._

This would not do, Sakura was the sole property of team seven…and it was high time they asserted their claim.

He had waited too long, fought too hard, _yearned _for her too much to just stand by and allow _another_ male access to her.

She was _his_ damnit! And any fucking bastard who challenged that deserved to die.

A fierce growl abruptly ripped from his throat.

_**That fucking-!**_

Unadulterated fury swept through his body in a brutal torrent, rendering further coherent thought impossible. In a flash, the infamous Copy-nin was racing furiously toward his beloved female, malice depicted on every feature.

That male would be the first to die.

Die a slow, _agonizing_ death.

A fitting end for an asshole whose gaze had lingered on his kunoichi's chest.

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_**I. **_

His lips pulled back in an inhuman snarl.

_**Will. **_

Eyes, normally a cheery shade of blue, blazed an unholy crimson.

_**Tear. **_

Elongated canines gnashed violently against the afternoon air.

_**Them. **_

Towering flames of powerful red chakra danced around the snarling demon within.

_**APART.**_

An ear-shattering _roar_ erupted from the enraged kitsune.

_**No one **__**can have **__**my**__** cherry blossom.**_

Those bastards would _die_.

How _dare_ they ruin this moment for him. How _dare_ those fucking jackasses interfere in a team seven moment.

Here he was, at long last, _finally _home. _Finally_ able to see his precious Sakura-chan.

This _should_ be a happy occasion. He _should_ be engulfing his blossom in a tight embrace right now, tenderly whispering his love and affection for her.

However, _apparently,_ that was too much to ask for. They, instead of happily reuniting with their blossom upon their arrival, were subjected to _this_.

No way in _hell_ was he going to stand for it.

_**I'm coming Sakura-chan. And when I get there, **_a feral light appeared in his eyes _**I'll make sure those assholes **_**pay**

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An extremely content Sakura was currently basking in the admiration of her male peers.

She wasn't vain, and she didn't possess an overwhelmingly large ego either, but she couldn't help feeling that such praise was her due. She worked hard didn't she? So where was the harm in enjoying a few compliments?

There was none as far as she could see.

With a warm smile, the flattered medic graciously accepted the many items eagerly offered by several blushing males. At the sight of the rose tinted cheeks, Sakura couldn't help the surge of feminine pride. _So __**this **__is the treatment Ino was talking about._

For years, the blonde kunoichi had regaled the girls with tales of devoted hoards of love struck men. Though she had always tried her hardest to remain indifferent, Sakura could never stop the envy that always filled her at these times. As if Ino was not bad enough, the other girls would chime in, adding their own experiences with admirers.

The stories of the girls' suitors would always cause self-doubt in her. She'd frequently question why _she _didn't at least have _one _romantic moment to share with them. Was she truly that unlovable?

Her fragile self-esteem, still healing from the severe blows her former team had given it, would deteriorate just a little more after every such conversation. The girls didn't know. She, thanks to insensitive teammates, was much too good at hiding her feelings.

She loathed her weakness at those times. _Why _she'd always question _am I so__** fucking **__sensitive._

When it came to her prowess as a kunoichi, there wasn't a shadow of doubt in her mind towards her competence. In that one aspect, she was proud to say, her old teams' remarks had failed to permanently scar her. She knew her worth as a shinobi. Her strength and chakra control had few equals, her medical skills were second only to her mentor, and her intelligence was highly acclaimed. So no, with her ability as a ninja she had no insecurities.

It was her ability as a woman that depressed her.

Never, _never, _had her old teammates sincerely complimented her. Of all of them, Naruto had been the closest; she, however, couldn't trust his flattery. After all, she was the first female the kitsune had really had constant contact with, so he had no basis to compare her to; that and their familiarity, she'd constantly told herself, was the only reason the blonde had thought her pretty.

The others, however, hadn't even attempted. To them, she was just a burden, the unwanted weight slowing team seven down. Their comments to her frequently carried traces of their overwhelming disdain -well…at least she thought so- and they -it seemed to her- never lost an opportunity to make her feel worth less than trash. This was just what she had deduced from their actions, but she was pretty sure she was correct.

They hadn't seen her as a female; hell, they hadn't even seen her as a _person_. To them she was simply Sakura, a two-dimensional, ambiguous figure designed for the sole purpose of impeding their training. _She_ was nothing more than an annoying _it_.

Due to this perception of their feelings, she had developed a practically insurmountable inferiority complex. So while her confidence lacked nothing when regarding her as a shinobi, it was all but nonexistent when it came to her as a person.

That's why she was so deliriously happy right now. It was finally her time to flaunt her womanly charms! Flaunt them to men who actually thought she had them.

Inwardly, Sakura happily squealed, this was just so freaking awesome! She would probably never date any of these guys, but it was nice to know that they were interested. Nice to have them treat her like a queen.

This courtesy was different from _anything_ she had experienced. It wasn't the mob adoration of fan boys. It wasn't the warm regard of her fellow medics. And it certainly _wasn't _like the friendly respect of her shinobi peers.

Nothing was expected of her, nothing but attention asked for. This was love on the most superficial of levels. Love where sacrifice, or anything else, wasn't required. She did not have to prove herself to them…didn't have to push herself past her limits to ensure their affection…didn't have endure their condescending gazes every time she failed to catch up to them…didn't-

Her thoughts came to a screeching halt.

_Why does __**everything**__ lead back to them? _While she continued smiling amiably at the males encircling her, Sakura was inwardly berating herself.

She had resolved to banish them from her thoughts damnit! She had firmly decided to let go of the anger, abandonment, and betrayal she felt towards them. To try her hardest to rid her heart of all the dark emotions she had _thought_ disappeared years ago.

Taking a deep breath to compose her inner conflict, she forced herself to concentrate on the present. The _much_ more pleasant present.

Just as was regaining her poise, just she was reaching for the phone number of a handsome brunette, however, a body flew right past her, colliding with a painful thud against a concrete wall.

_What the hell…_

Shinobi instincts immediately kicked in. Flirting now the last thing on her mind, Sakura sprang to her feet. _What direction did that guy come from?_

Despite the potential danger, Sakura chanced a quick glance at her companion to assess his condition. Any delusions she had harbored about him promptly vanished. The frightened look of the formerly cocky male who had previously been so self-assured when pursuing her, caused disappointment in her. _And to think, a minute ago I thought him prime dating material. _So much for trusting her woman's intuition.

After roughly shaking her head to clear it of such distracting thoughts, she quickly began scanning her surroundings for their attackers. She shouldn't have bothered; milliseconds after the first attack, their assailants descended upon them with a fury.

Bodies sailed through the air in every direction, her admirers, who had previously boasted so adamantly of their bravery, were desperately scrambling to escape the onslaught. She couldn't be too judgmental though, the sheer power radiating off their attackers made her hair stand on end.

_**Who** are these guys?_

She, however, didn't have the luxury of pondering their identity, or giving in to her fear. She had civilians to save.

The determined medic charged into battle -well…one-sided massacre- with chakra infused limbs, ready to prove her nettle as a kunoichi. However, despite her best efforts, the attackers, much to her frustration, proved too fast for her to get a lock on. The enemy was little more than streaks of color flashing rapidly around the plaza; the ridiculously short moments they were visible, and the fact that their auras _flooded _the area, made it impossible for her to get a lock on them.

She was fighting blind.

_Not good. _She flung another hapless male suitor out of harms way…or at least she _hoped_ that's what she was doing. It was difficult to tell when she couldn't see or sense they people attacking them.

_I _she thought morbidly _am __**so**__ screwed._

Some benevolent kami, however, chose that opportune moment to repay some of her good karma. One of the flashes slowed down just a fraction of a second longer to deliver a particularly vicious attack to one of the males. That sliver of time was all she needed. Pushing a huge chunk of chakra into her legs, she lunged at the indistinct assailant. The attacker never saw her coming.

Smashing into the enemy with an audible thud, Sakura quickly moved to pin them. Using her massive strength, she flipped the figure onto it's stomach and planted a knee on the small of their back. Stationing one of her kunais just millimeters from the attacker's throat, she made her demand.

"Tell the others to stop," she growled, adding more pressure to his- because his physic clearly screamed male- back and neck to emphasize her point.

He, much to her surprise, merely chuckled.

Just as she was going to maul the man for his clear disrespect, he -with amusement still lacing his words- spoke again. "Still as bossy as ever you ugly hag."

Anger momentarily clouding her judgment, the leaf kunoichi forcibly turned the man again and slammed him onto his back. "Listen here **bastard**. Only _**one**_person is allowed to call me that without fear of death, and _he's_ been gone for yearsSo," she pushed the kunai closer to his throat, "unless you _want_ to make it even harder on yourself, I strongly suggest you refrain from making such demeaning comments."

Tirade done with, she finally took her first _real_ look at her captive.

Shock hit her like a freight train. _This can't be real _she furiously blinked disbelieving eyes_. Why now? Why would they return now?_

Sai -for it was him that she had pinned- took advantage of her bewilderment. He swept the stunned cherry blossom into his arms and whispered in her ear, "I really missed you hag."

Further interaction between the two was delayed they the appearance of the others.

"Quit hogging her you stupid bastard!" The fuming kitsune glared petulantly at the smirking artist, _he_ had wanted to be the first to hug Sakura-chan.

The shocked kunoichi looked up. _Naruto's here too? _Sure enough, the blonde stood there in all his glory not even a foot away from her. In fact, _all _her team stood mere inches from her and Sai.

However, before she could start questioning them -before she even _thought_ of questioning them- her shishou appeared.

The fair Hokage took one look at the battered forms of the civilian males littering the plaza, the dazed form of her apprentice in the embrace of a shinobi who had been missing for years, and the protective stances of the rest of team seven and silently wondered if she was unknowingly drunk.

Coming out of her momentary stupor, she demanded an explanation in her booming voice. "What the _**hell **_happened here?!"

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**This is the longest chapter I've ever written, _ever_.**

**Sorry for the rather bland reunion, I'll make up for it in the next update. **

**If I'd tried to fit all I wanted to in this chapter, this thing would have ended up over ten thousand words long!**

**My next update will have our favorite cherry blossom unleashing her fearsome temper on the jerks.**

_**That **_**will be the 'true' reunion chapter.**

**So, till then.**

**Later.**


	8. Chapter 8

**I know it's been a while since I've updated -sheepish blush-…a **_**really**_** long while.**

**But, in my defense, I've had the worst case of writer's block.**

_**Ever**_

**Seriously, it was like pulling teeth with a pair of tweezers.**

**That, and my boxing team's _awesome_ performance this season, made writing next to impossible.**

**My team's going to finals!**

_**Hell yeah!**_

**-clears throat- Anyway, for some weird reason I can't seem to read the reviews for the last chapter.**

**So -to those who reviewed and to those who still held hope that I was alive- this chapter is for you!**

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_He is not a lover who does not love forever_.

**Euripides **

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The Godaime's roar snapped Sakura out or her temporary paralysis…only to throw her into _another_ sea of confusion.

_Shishou? _The disoriented medic slowly blinked disbelieving orbs.

The appearance of her mentor, despite puzzling her, succeeded in making the previous rambling gibberish in her muddled mind turn into a coherent train of thought; an increasingly troubled train of thought that bore nothing but a cargo of worries.

_**What**_ in the world was her teacher doing **here**? She was the _head_ medic for crying out loud, she couldn't **afford** to take a break. _Especially_ now that the wounded from Hoshigakure were streaming into their already packed facilities in _droves_.

Still, though seeing Tsunade away from the hospital did concern her, it was the figure standing next to her blonde mentor that truly alarmed her.

_**And**__ Shizune?_

Something had to have happened, something _big_. The dark haired female did not take any of her duties lightly; for her to shirk them, for even the smallest amount of time, something of utmost importance had to have occurred. Something, she felt with a sinking heart, which most likely had ties to the upcoming war.

With this suspicion -probable reality- in mind, the roseate woman's eyes darkened in trepidation and her features took on a grim countenance. _It seems _she thought despondently _that peace in Konoha will not last much longer._

The fragile peace that they three had so jealously guarded all these years had now, it appeared, come to an end.

Some may say she was too quick to jump to conclusions, but she knew those two too well to assume otherwise. She knew, without asking, that war had finally reached their tranquil home.

_I'm guessing my day off _the ever-present burden on her shoulders seemed to grow even heavier _has just come to an end._

Still, she would not allow Tsunade or the others to see even a hint of her weariness or worry; she _was_ a kunoichi after all, a kunoichi taught by the Godaime herself. She would not disgrace herself or her teacher by displaying any sign of weakness.

Leveling a steady stare at her mentor, and breathing in deeply to ease some of her tension, she addressed her Hokage in an unwavering voice.

"Shishou," she questioned, an emotionless mask effectively hiding her uneasiness, "where am I needed?"

Disregarding -for the time being- the recently arrived males, Tsunade turned to her youngest apprentice; satisfaction at her inquiry barely veiled under the guise of formality. Though she hid it well, pride filled her at her pupil's keen perception.

_I knew she'd understand. _

It was times like these that reaffirmed her belief that she had been correct in choosing Sakura as her student. The rosette female more than did her credit.

"Sakura," her brisk command concealed all traces of warmth and immediately caught the attention of those present, "I need you to report to the hospital." An indecipherable flicker passed through the deceptively placid hazel depths, "As soon as possible."

Her youngest apprentice nodded in acquiescence and silently awaited any further instructions, fierce loyalty shining in her viridian eyes.

The Godaime trained steady eyes on the, secretly, uneasy young woman. _Oh Sakura _her heart clenched at the thought of things to come _I hate that you have to be involved in this. And yet _she thought in guilty relief _I'm glad that you'll be by my side. _

Mercilessly shoving all maternal instincts to the back of her mind for the time being, she ambiguously answered the question she knew was dominating Sakura's mind.

"It seems," impassive hazel hardened, "that we were correct in making our preparations."

The cryptic statement, though lost on the males, was quickly understood by Sakura.

_I was right _the pinkette glumly acknowledged_ the time has finally come for Konoha to fight_. The realization was not met with any semblance of pleasure.

Shizune, slightly less successful than her teacher in concealing her worries, looked at her surrogate sister with stormy eyes. She noted with concern the prominent dark circles under her sister's weary eyes and the slightly haggard tinge to her features. _Just hold on my little Imouto _she pleaded inwardly _we'll be back to help soon._

Sakura, for all her considerable strengths and abilities, was still human. A human who was in desperate need of rest. _Rest _she couldn't help the inner derisive snort at the word _fanciful thinking for people like us. _

Shizune, try as she might, could not remember the last time any of them had had a full night's rest, or even a nap exceeding two hours. Konoha's Triumvirate, as they were called by other nations, simply could not spare the time.

Their every waking hour was filled with patient after patient, with never-ending treaties and compromises, with arrogant clan leaders and feudal lords, with countless mission missives, and -of course- the mountains of paperwork that never seemed to diminish in size.

Gingerly rubbing her aching temples in an attempt to dispel the oncoming migraine, she forcibly ended her little pity party. _Now _she thought firmly, disgusted with her earlier thoughts _is not the time for weakness. _

She composed her features and turned a gentle smile Sakura's way; conveying the silent message to her little sister that, regardless of how grim the circumstances may appear, no situation was unsolvable as long as they stuck together.

The humorous thought of the three of them brandishing swords and shouting, "All for one and one for all!", darted through her mind before she could even attempt to suppress it. _Yes _she thought in veiled amusement _as cheesy as that is, it fits us perfectly._

She choked back her chuckles and rapidly sought to regain her composure.

"We'll fill you in later Sakura-chan," the ravenette promised, reassurance in her voice.

At the sincere pledge, Sakura couldn't help the tiny smile that graced her lips. _Trust Shizune _she thought fondly_ to try to comfort me at a time like this, indirect though it may have been._

"I'll hold you to that Shizune," she replied, showing with a warm glance her gratitude.

Thankful exchange over, she once again steeled her features and faced her teacher, whose attention had since turned to the recently returned team seven.

"As for you four," the Godaime turned blazing eyes to the new arrivals. "I'll let _this_," she swept her hand over the wreckage around them, "slide this time." Hazel eyes narrowed to mere slits, "Consider yourselves lucky."

That said, the blonde, with Shizune in tow, strode past the group.

Just before leaving their hearing range however, Tsunade, seemingly as an afterthought, gave her final instructions to the males. "Report to my office in two hours, we'll discuss your reintegration into the village then."

Orders given, the Godaime left, left to attend a meeting that would plunge Konoha into war.

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Her teacher gone, Sakura rapidly moved to follow her Hokage's instructions.

Something, however, was firmly holding her back.

Something with a toned chest and lean, warm, muscled arms.

Something that was most definitely _male_.

Rapidly blinking her eyes the kunoichi finally took note of her current position; her current, _awkward_ position.

Distracted emerald pools abruptly focused, bringing to her attention the figure of one nonchalant artist nin; an artist nin who currently had _her_ in _his_ arms.

_How_ the **hell** had she gotten here?!

Deciding to ponder that later, preferably once she had escaped, she focused on her current problem.

Namely, leaving Sai's engulfing hold.

Fortunately for her, she just so happened to have superhuman strength.

So, conscious of her pressing duty and eager to escape his hold, Sakura wasted no time in violently wrenching Sai's arms away from her body.

The artist nin, however, refused to cooperate.

Quickly moving to regain his hold on her, he brought her even _closer_ to him. "Not so fast Ugly," his dark eyes, warm with affection, lovingly traced her features, "I have no intention of letting go any time soon...if ever."

Not pausing to even consider the implications of such a statement, or actions, Sakura turned a carefully bland expression towards him.

"You heard the Godaime," she stated, her reappearing turbulent emotions hidden behind a meticulously maintained monotone. "Sorry I can't stay and give you guys a proper welcome, "her mouth painfully stretched into a tight, plastic smile, "but I have to get back to work."

Thought she outwardly maintained an unaffected façade, inwardly -safe from their prying eyes- her mind and feelings were in a frenzy.

_How in the world _her stunned mind simply could not comprehend it _did I __**forget**__ about _**them?!**

Had she completely gone bonkers?

In retrospect, she mused, it wasn't entirely her fault that she had neglected to notice their continued presence. The appearance of Tsunade and Shizune, and everything their presence entailed, more than justified her wayward memory; it, however, did not excuse it.

Nothing could excuse such an oversight.

_It's remarkable _she thought wryly _that I so easily overlooked the men that have been _**plaguing**_ my mind for **months**. _

She pushed the distracting, and depressing, thoughts to the back of her head and forced herself to focus on the annoyingly clingy male. The male who _still _hadn't released her.

Sai, to her chagrin, had -in response to her earlier statement- merely tightened his hold.

"Work can wait," he murmured huskily in her ear, "you belong **here** with _us_ blossom."

She, despite the turmoil in her heart, was startled by his words.

Actually, shocked would be a more appropriate term.

_Is he…is he _sweet-talking _**me**? _

The idea was _completely_ ludicrous. In fact, if this had been any other situation, she would have done a dispelling jutsu to make sure it was really her teammate.

If she had discovered that that was indeed the case, she would then -after ascertaining that the world was _not_ coming to an end- write it off as one of Sai's many inexplicably bizarre moments, something to chuckle over during her leisure time.

Now, however, laughing was the furthest notion from her mind.

Their presence, especially now after all those _fucking_ dreams, was wreaking havoc on her -apparently- still sensitive emotions.

All her insecurities, all the hurt she had acquired in their company, were slamming into her like a sledgehammer. The sheer force of it leaving her feeling vulnerable and exposed, just as she had when they left.

Every wound she _thought _had healed was ripped open anew at the sight of them; carefully repaired injuries returning to their original state, aching all the more horribly after years of reprieve.

With one simple glance at them, all the hard work she had put into mending her battered heart and moving on was proving to be null and void.

_All these years _she wretchedly wondered _were they pointless?_

All that time spent training until collapsing from sheer exhaustion. Those multiple nights cramming every nook and cranny of her mind full of medical knowledge. Endless shifts in the hospital spent refining her chakra control and medical techniques.

Had it all been in vain?

Maybe they were right about her; maybe she _was_ forever doomed to be weak. Despairing verdant eyes sought solace behind tightly shut eyelids. _I'll never be good enough._ The wretched female choked back a sob. _I'll always, __**always **__be inferior to them._

The thought brought her mind to a screeching halt.

_No _flashing emerald narrowed in determination _no __**fucking**__ way._

The inextinguishable fighting spirit within her fiercely rejected such a pathetic notion.

There was **no** way she was going to allow herself to revert back into the spineless, naïve, little wannabe kunoichi she had once been; no, not over this, not over _anything_. She was too good of a kunoichi to even be thinking such crap.

So what if they were stronger than she was?

They were probably stronger than _all _of the shinobi in the village.

Hell, they were some of the strongest -if not _the _strongest- shinobi in all the lands!

Team seven was freakishly powerful, genuine living legends; she was beyond stupid to feel incompetent for not measuring up. Especially when she knew herself to be a strong kunoichi in her own right.

She was a force to be reckoned with, her position as Tsunade's apprentice was sufficient confirmation of her prowess. She knew this and her loved ones knew this; it was foolish of her to seek validation elsewhere.

Sakura, after reprimanding herself for her temporary idiocy, quieted her weeping heart and gave her mind a nice, forceful shake.

_I may not be completely over them _her painfully throbbing heart was proof enough _but I sure as __**hell**__ am not going to fall to pieces because of it._

A calloused hand gently encircling hers swiftly brought her out of her inner musings.

Painstakingly schooling her features into cheerful indifference -while smothering the, completely absurd, urge to chuckle at the oxymoron- she turned her attention to her right.

And was promptly greeted with the sight of two endless pools of sapphire.

"You don't _really_ have to go," shimmering azure eyes beseeched her, "do you?"

"Well I-" another presence quickly took hold of her remaining hand.

"Surely," a lilting baritone coaxed, "you can allow yourself to be a _little_ late today." His only visible eye crinkled. "You can always tell them," he suggested seriously -though his smiling eye betrayed him-,"that you were lost on road of life."

"But-" now her left _leg_ was being accosted.

"Sakura," solemn onyx gazed unflinchingly at her, "stay with us." Though the verbal request -demand really- was simple, the myriad of emotions swirling in the Uchiha's dark depths made it anything but.

It s_hould _have been a touching sight. I mean seriously, what girl in her right mind could refuse such seemingly sincere pleas?

_Especially_ when they were coming from four ridiculously powerful and handsome shinobi males.

Not one with even the slightest trace of sanity in her.

Sakura, unfortunately, was one of the select few immune to their 'irresistible' charm.

Consequently, their swoon-worthy attempts at persuasion on the rosette fell miserably short of their intended effect. In fact, the attempts only served to shorten the medic's already deteriorating patience.

The attention the males were currently lavishing on her _would_ have been flattering years ago, when she actually _sought _it; now, however, it was just working on her last nerve.

Konoha's normally cheerful pink-haired kunoichi was starting to get downright **pissed**.

_Who the __**fuck **_she inwardly snarled _do they __**think**__ they are?_

She, though it went against every sentiment in her body, had so far done her best to be as friendly and accommodating as possible. She, despite her heart's protesting cries, had also tried her hardest to look past their abandonment and attempted to give them at least a non-hostile welcome.

Were the bastards grateful?

Did they even _acknowledge_ her efforts?

No, they -in true form- simply demanded more from her. Maybe she was being unreasonable and bitter -hell, she _knew_ she probably was- but right now, she simply didn't care. Letting the fury course through her veins felt _good_.

Pain and sorrow, after all, hadn't been the only things her heart had harbored all these years; rage had been bottled up inside her as well. And now, after simmering undisturbed for years, it was beginning to awaken.

She had been _far_ too lenient on those bastards.

_**"Let me **_**go**_**," **_the request, though calmly spoken, carried a deadly undertone.

Not waiting for them to follow her command, she forcefully pried all limbs from her body; this time not bothering to keep her monstrous physical strength in check. Within seconds she had freed herself, pointedly ignoring the grunts of pain from the males all the while.

Sakura purposefully strode away from the startled -and slightly injured- group, not even sparing a glance in their direction to see if they were okay.

She did, after all, have a duty to fulfill.

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Frantic blue eyes viewed the medic's vanishing figure.

_What do I do?! _The agitated blonde ran a shaking hand through his messy locks. _What do I do?! _

Seeing her walk away, seeing her _leave_ them, was making his mind blank out in panic. Sakura's vanishing figure threw his mind into a frenzy; nothing but the overwhelming need to stop her, to make her come back to them, was decipherable in the hysterical male's head.

Maybe his fear wasn't entirely rational, but he couldn't help it. Sakura was acting as if they meant _nothing_ to her, like they were merely an annoying obligation she was stuck greeting.

And he couldn't handle that.

Rage was tolerable -expected really- and tears were acceptable as well…as long as she allowed them to comfort her afterwards.

Hell even _hate_ was preferable.

At least then he would know she felt _something_ towards them.

But this…this chilly indifference was unbearable.

His fear, however, stemmed from more than just her behavior.

Naruto instincts were screaming that this was a defining moment. Their incessant cries demanded that he take action; warning him that if he didn't…his ties to Sakura would be irrevocably damage

Not knowing what else to do -panic on the verge of suffocating him- Naruto threw all his fear, anxiety, and need in one solitary word.

_**"Sakura-chan!" **_Desperation laced his cry, unvocal pleas for her return woven into every syllable of her name.

_Don't go _he mentally begged _please don't go._

His entreaties, despite the urgency behind them, fell on deaf ears, the rosy-haired female's steps never faltered.

Seeing the effect -or rather lack of effect- his words had had, the distressed male turned to his companions.

"Do something!" The passive way the other males were dealing with the situation _infuriated_ him. Couldn't they sense that this moment could make or break their future with Sakura?! "Do any of you even _care_ that she's **leaving**!"

How could they be so calm?!

Little did he know the three harbored less than tranquil feelings; that their blank expressions were the result of too _much_ emotion as opposed to lack of.

And that they were in no mood to tolerate a hysterical Naruto.

"Of course we care," Kakashi snapped, pinning the Uzumaki with a glare, "but acting rashly right now is not in our best interest."

The Copy-nin clenched his fists in frustration. "She's angry Naruto," his whole body was on edge, as if he was forcibly restraining himself from going after her, "confronting her now will only make matters worse."

"But just standing around isn't going to help either!"

"This isn't a battle we can rush into blindly Naruto!" _I __**know**__ it hurts, Naruto, but we can't lose our heads _his eyes hardened _not now._

"I _know_ that damnit!" _Can't you understand Kakashi? _fierce blue met equally fierce onyx _Can't you see that every second we waste gives her heart more time to distance itself from with us?_

The standoff was broken by a cold whisper.

"Shut up dobe."

Sasuke didn't even bother to look at Naruto as he gave his command.

"This isn't the _**fucking **_time to give me attitude teme." Naruto's growl carried a clear warning.

A warning Sasuke ignored.

Still looking straight ahead, he frigidly repeated his order.

"I said _shut up_."

Naruto's already strained temper snapped.

"You _**asshole**_!" Eyes ablaze, the snarling kyuubi launched himself at the Uchiha.

Only to be intercepted by a stone-faced Sai.

_**"Get out of my way Sai," **_murderous crimson glared at the artist.

The male addressed had a dark look on his face. "I _suggest_," he hissed through clenched teeth, "that you and Kakashi look ahead."

Puzzled, both shinobi followed his instructions.

…and promptly stiffened.

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**Has anyone besides me noticed that it's still the first day?**

**I plan to pace this fic a little faster in the future…but before that I have to find a way to end this day.**

**Kenji, my adorable OC, will make his appearance in the next chapter.**

**That is…if all goes as planned.**

**A major if since nothing so far in this fic has gone as planned.**

**Oh well, that just makes things interesting I suppose.**

**I'm _so_ sorry to those who I promised a Neji/Sakura/Shika moment to, _that_ will be in the next chapter.**

**I just couldn't work it into this one.**

**Also the confrontation between Sakura and the boys of team 7 will continue in my next update.**

**Later.**


	9. Chapter 9

**Sorry for the wait.**

**I've been really booked lately and any spare time I've had has gone towards Mist Maiden.**

**Normally, I'd respond to my reviewers in this chapter, but for some reason my account is screwing up.**

**Oh, don't worry. **

**I will be able to read your reviews for this chapter, but not until I've posted the next two.**

**I have no idea what's going on. **

**So, to reviewers of chapter eight, I can _see _that you've left a review.**

**I just can't _read_ them until after I've posted chapter ten. **

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"_If you have the courage to love, you have the courage to suffer."_  
**Author Unknown**

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Sakura was _not_ happy.

"What do you _mean_," she growled dangerously through gritted teeth, "my clothes are too _**revealing**_?"

Both males visibly flinched.

_Perhaps _mused the cringing Nara male _I should have put a little more thought into my greeting._ If the glare Neji was directing at him was any indication, he thought so as well.

Still, despite the death glare she was currently pining him with, he had to admit she looked _stunning_. The clothes fit her like a glove and accentuated her figure and coloring beautifully, making her already dazzling emerald eyes even more radiant.

That added to her anger flushed cheeks and her eyes ablaze in fury, made her simply…

Breathtaking.

Could he really be blamed for wanting to keep such beauty to himself…or attempting to at least dim it a _little _in the eyes of others?

His possessive nature didn't think so.

Unfortunately, Sakura didn't follow his reasoning.

…at all.

Hence, his current predicament.

Said female currently pinned him with a death glare, nonverbally demanding a response to an impossible question.

Beads of perspiration gathered on the increasingly nervous man's forehead, damning evidence of his building fear.

_How the hell _the Nara thought, mind racing furiously _do I answer that?! _

"I'm still waiting for an answer." The medic's eyes flashed in warning.

Sakura couldn't believe the _gall _of that bastard.

How _dare_ he?!

Here she was, already in foul mood from her earlier encounter with her _charming_ ex-teammates, sporting both turbulent emotions and a rapidly worsening headache, and the first thing he does is insult her fashionable -for once!- outfit!

Were _all_ men complete idiots?!

"What I meant was…," the terrified male desperately searched his mind for a believable cover-up. _Brain _he inwardly pleaded _don't fail me now. _

**"**_**Was**__?_" the furious rosette prompted with a hiss. "Please Shika, _do_ go on. I'd _love_ to hear your reason for being so _**fucking**_ inconsiderate."

Normally, the medic wouldn't be so sensitive -or bitchy- about such a slipup; but her emotions, already on edge from her earlier encounter, had simply snapped.

Shikamaru's comment -unfortunately for him- had just been the straw that broke the camel's back. If Sakura had really stopped to think about it, the Nara wasn't really even the one she was angry at.

She, however, didn't, and the shadow master was stuck bearing the brunt of a testy medic's fury.

Swallowing thickly, and studiously ignoring Sakura's fierce scowl, the Nara tried again. "The _clothes_ are perfectly decent," encouraged by the easing of her glare, he forged on, "I just think you got them in too small a size."

A deadly hush swiftly followed his words.

_Sweet kami _a wide-eyed Neji cast a disbelieving stare Shikamaru's way _did he just…did he just call her __**fat**__?_

Judging from the Nara's profusely sweating brow and trembling hands, this was indeed the case. _That _the brunette thought with profound pity for his male comrade _is a dead man._

Said man felt a lead weight settle unpleasantly in his stomach. _Please _the Nara fervently implored any listening deities _please tell me I didn't just say that out loud._

Shaking his head in amazement of the normally intelligent man's blunder of epic proportions, Neji viewed the Nara's frantic attempts to piece together an explanation or apology…_or_ escape plan, he wasn't really sure.

The sight of Shikamaru's panic, however, triggered a memory of himself in a similar position; of the shadow master leaving him high and dry to face a fire breathing Sakura all by his lonesome. And, just like that, all his sympathy for the man evaporated.

_Karma_ he thought in satisfaction_ is a beautiful thing._

He cast a smirking glance Shikamaru's way. _Let's see you get out of __**this **__one Nara. _The Hyuuga, still quite sore at the Nara for abandoning him earlier, now took pleasure in the shadow user's dilemma.

Shikamaru saw the glance.

_So much for help in that quarter _he grumbled inwardly.

The momentary distraction, as he soon found out, would cost him.

Mind still scrambling for a feasible plan of action, he looked up just in time to see a chakra-laced fist.

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_**"Hidan?" **_A still snarling Naruto viewed the -_suppose_ to be deceased- nin through angry slits. _**"What the **_**fuck**_** are you doing **_**here**_**?"**_

Shikamaru had buried the Akatsuki member alive years ago and they, after wiping out the rest of the organization, had later laid him to a more…_permanent_ rest.

So there was no _possible_ way the bastard could be nonchalantly standing before them.

At least…no way Sasuke could fathom.

"A better question," frosty Sharingan glared at the man, "would be what the _fuck_ are you doing _alive_?"

Said man, unfazed by the four pairs of eyes boring into him, merely blinked in confusion.

"Hidan?" puzzled violet eyes peered curiously at them. "Who is he?"

The question gave the Leaf shinobi pause.

_He_ the startled artist nin thought _has to be **fucking** kidding_.

"Do you," Sai's eyes narrowed even further, insulted and angered at the man's pathetic attempt at a defense, "take us as _idiots_?"

"No!" the man's eyes sparkled in sincerity, "I don't think you're dumb at all!" The Hidan look-alike chewed his bottom lip nervously, "Sakura-neechan taught me that I shouldn't be quick to judge people, and, since I just met you, I can't tell for sure if you're idiots or not."

His answer was almost laughably genuine, but its honesty was wasted on the four shinobi. The minute the man said Sakura's name, their vision became clouded by fiery _**rage**_.

Already testy from their kunoichi's earlier departure, they weren't in the mood to passively endure a dead man's bullshit; _especially_ when it involved Sakura.

"You," Kakashi's soft voice held deadly promise, "picked the _wrong_ time to be funny."

Bewildered eyes widened at the malice dripping from the copy-nin's words. _Are they _he wondered innocently _mad at me? _

He didn't know what their problem with him was; he hadn't done _anything_ to them. He had just met them for Pete's sake!

So _why _were they glaring at him so evilly?

_Maybe_ he mused _they missed their afternoon nap? _He knew he got cranky when he missed his, so perhaps that's why they were being so mean.

Before he could further contemplate the reasons behind their treatment of him, however, the objects of his musing charged.

Violet eyes widening in slight fear, the man viewed the rapidly approaching forms in total bewilderment. _What_ he wondered frantically while viewing the murderous intent in their eyes _did I do?!_

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"Choujiiiiii!"

The harried male glanced up at the call, instantly recognizing the voice. Rolling his eyes, and looking to the heavens for patience, he replied to the bellow. "In here Ino!"

Within seconds, an extremely pleased blonde strut into the kitchen, looking every bit like the cat who had stolen the cream.

A look that had the Akamichi male tensing in trepidation. "Ino," he leveled hard eyes towards his oldest female friend, "_what_ have you done?"

Pasting on an utterly scandalized expression, she shot a hurt glance his way. "Why do you always think the worst of me Chouji?" Faux tears glistened in her eyes as she continued her overly dramatic charade, "I've always done nothing but try to be an excellent teammate and friend to you, and _this_ is what I get in return," her chin trembled, "distrust and undeserved reprimands?"

The act left Chouji, seasoned with years of witnessing similar theatrics, unmoved.

"Yes," he answered shortly, "this is exactly what you get. Now," he turned a serious face towards her, "_what _have you done?"

She flashed him a winning smile, "Aww, come on Chouji! Don't be like _that_." She, with an impressive hair flip, hopped up on the counter. "I didn't do anything horrible! In fact," her voice dropped to a conspiring whisper, "I did something that will make the males of Konoha worship me for _**eternity**_."

A sense of impending disaster weighed down on the apprehensive male. "And just _what_," he asked a bit nervously, "is that exactly Ino?"

Practically beaming with satisfaction, the preening blonde airily replied, "Oh, nothing really," she made a show of inspecting her fingernails, "I just gave Sakura a _drool-worthy _makeover."

_**"You what?!," **_he stared at his teammate in horror. "Do you realize how **pissed** Shikamaru's going to be once he finds out it was _you_?! Worse still," he added in a terrified whisper, "when the _others_ do."

Oh, Chouji wasn't blind. He knew _exactly_ how his fellow nins felt towards the rosy-haired medic. And it was for that reason that he currently feared for Ino's well-being.

"Hey!," the affronted kunoichi exclaimed, "I wasn't the only one who did it! Hinata, Tenten, Shizune, and Lady Tsunade helped as well!" The indignant female jabbed the male in the chest, "So there!"

The Akamichi sighed wearily, "How you always manage to get yourself in these situations is beyond me, Ino." _So is _he mentally added with some disgruntlement _how you never fail to tangle me up in them as well_.

Resigning himself to helping his blonde friend out of yet _another _scrape, he rubbed his forehead. "What in the _world_," he asked in aggravation, "causes you to **always** be in the middle of all this drama?"

She sent him an unrepentant grin while shrugging carelessly, "I'm just special that way."

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Panting heavily, Kenji ran shaking hands through his blood-encrusted locks.

_Just what _he wondered hysterically _the __**hell**__ did I just fight?!_

That creature, that _thing_, had been unlike anything he had come across before. It wasn't human, he wasn't even sure if it qualified as an _animal_.

The creature had had the basic outline of a human body; the standard two arms, two legs, one torso, one head.

That, however, was were the similarities ended.

Its discolored skin, a mottled mosaic of purple and gray tones, had been freezing to the touch; so much so that he was burned whenever they came in contact.

The obvious irregularity in its body temperature, however, hadn't been what had sent a horrified chill down his spine. No, _that_ had been the creature's face.

Or rather, lack of one.

It had had no apparent facial features; no eyes, no mouth, _nothing_.

Which begged the question; just _what_ the **fuck **was it?

Bracing his quivering legs, willing them to steady, he slowly moved to stand. Immediately, four of his men rushed to his side, offering their shoulders as crutches. Mind too jumbled to appreciate the gesture; he waved them off distractedly without a glance in their direction.

_I have to inspect it _he firmly reminded himself. _Father will expect a full report on my return_.

So, heart still furiously pounding, he slowly made his way to the carcass of his opponent.

Kenji's eyes were transfixed on the body, his feet carrying him to it of their own accord; this was fortunate, since his mind was too focused on other matters to bother with something as inane as rudimentary motor skills.

The ghastly sight as he came upon it temporarily stopped him cold.

Muscles still sporadically spasmed on the stiffening corpse and a thick, puce colored liquid sludged out of the several gaping wounds on the body.

Reigning in the first signs of hyperventilating, Kenji mentally gave himself a good shake. _Get a hold of yourself man _he harshly commanded himself _it's not as if it's alive to hurt you_.

So, pep talk done with, he kneeled down in the muck of bodily fluids and tissue beside the dead creature, beginning to meticulously examine the body for telltale signs of origin or species.

Just as he reached over to flip the body onto its side, however, his wrist was suddenly captured in the steely grip of the thought-to-be-dead thing.

_Think yourself pretty clever don't you _a gravely voice rasped in the confines of his mind._ Think yourself capable of discovering just what I am with that 'intelligent' brain of yours._

A guttural rumble of laughter erupted from the creature. _Silly, pitiful man _it tsked in reproachment. _You have __**no**__ idea of the danger you're getting yourself into. _

Kenji felt the thing smile wickedly in his mind. _I was merely a low-level soldier _it gleefully informed him _you stand __**no**__ chance against the higher-ups._

_What do you **mean**?_ the young Kisaragi lord demanded. _**What** happened here?_

_The births were successful _it replied simply in an eerie singsong tone _nothing else matters_.

_The births? _Kenji's brows furrowed in confusion. _Who or what was it that was conceived? _

_The births were successful _it repeated _nothing else matters. _Its voice took on a feverish pitch as it continued to repeat the chant. _The births were successful **nothing** else matters._ _The births were successful **NOTHING** else matters! _

_Tell me _the young lord commanded icily _what was born_.

The thing, instead of complying, simply laughed. _Wouldn't you just **love** to know? _it cackled. And, with a triumphant mental smirk, the thing disintegrated right before his eyes.

_I_ Kenji thought uneasily _need to get back to the palace_.

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_Oh. _

_**Fucking. **_

**Hell.**

Temari quickly took in the scene before her with panicked eyes. _Why_ she thought resentfully _do I __**always**__ get stuck dealing with shit like this?_

There before her eyes, to her intense displeasure, stood an extremely terrified Mamoru. A terrified Mamoru who was desperately fending off four enraged nins.

…and the poor silver-haired man was faring badly.

He had lacerations running the full length of his body, bruises littering every visible surface, and a right arm that was hanging at an odd angle.

In short, the man looked like hell.

_Sakura _the blonde thought with an inner shiver _is **not** going to be happy_.

Unfortunately, during the time she took evaluating the situation, Mamoru was forcibly slammed into a tree with a sickening crack.

The blonde kunoichi, upon hearing the sound, snapped her head in that direction. _Shit! __**Shit! **_**Shit! **She thought as she frantically scrambled to come up with a plan of action. _Sakura'll kill __**me**__ if I let them kill __**him**__!_

Not having time to contemplate any options, and lacking the calm to come up with any, she dove headfirst into the frenzy. _Sweet kami _she begged in a quick, silent prayer _**please**__ let me survive._

She vaguely noted her teammates' brief hesitation before plunging after. _It's good to know _she thought fleetingly in dry amusement _that they didn't stick me with complete morons_.

That, however was her last conscious thought, the one-sided fight below her demanded all her attention. She, while free falling in the air, rapidly scanned the area immediately underneath her in search of the perfect landing spot.

Just as she was about to say the hell with it, she finally located her target; a narrow gap between the two parties. Offering up pleas to any listening deities that she'd land with the limited time slot the gap existed, she angled her body to that location.

Quickly steeling herself for impact, she effortlessly placed herself between Mamoru and his attackers.

…and up close and personal to a fully formed rasengan. _I _she thought with morbid fascination as she stared intently at the swirling mass of chakra _am going to die._

The kamis, however, seemed to favor her that day.

"What the _fuck_," a still crimson-eyed Naruto demanded as he lowered his attack, "do you think your doing Temari?"

"I think," she hated she slight tremor in her voice and swallowed thickly in an attempt to level it, "that I'm keeping you from attacking an innocent man."

"Innocent?" Kakashi questioned in a lethal whisper. "That 'innocent man' was part of the Akatsuki organization. There," he stated decisively with slight disgust in her direction, "is nothing 'innocent' about that."

_Akatsuki? _She wondered in confusion. _Where did they-? _

_Oh. _

_**Oh**. _

Her face lit up in understanding. _So __**that's**__ why they attacked him_. She hadn't remembered how out of the loop those four where with the daily happenings in Konoha, _of course _they wouldn't know about Mamoru.

"You've got it all wrong!" She said in earnest explanation. "This man isn't who you thin-!"

Sasuke coldly interrupted her near hysterical explanation.

"Unless you have a death wish," fierce sharingan glared at her, "I suggest you move."

"But you don't understan-!"

Sai, impatient with the senseless conversation -and her in general-, took advantage of her inattention to charge the bewildered Mamoru.

Only to be promptly knocked back by the sudden appearance of a massive tree.

"Have all of you," an hard voice harshly questioned from the tree's branches, "completely lost all reason? Because that," the deep bass added, "is the _only_ plausible explanation for your actions."

Four heads immediately snapped in the direction of the sound, instantly recognizing the speaker.

"Yamato," Kakashi greeted in a deceptively bland tone, "I wondered when we'd run into you."

"I was hoping," Naruto quietly growled, "that it would later rather than sooner."

Said man smoothly walked down the length of the tree, paying little mind to their anger. "Don't act too happy to see me," he dryly told the glaring males. "Now," he serenely commanded Temari, "why don't you continue with your explanation?"

Slightly fidgeting in discomfort as the focus of four murderous nins shifted to her, she took a deep, fortifying breath and began a brief rundown of the situation while quietly wondering why Yamato hadn't done it himself.

"This," she pointed to the beaten man behind her, "is not Hidan of the Akatsuki, but rather Mamoru of Konoha." Seeing the protests on their faces, she hurried on before they had a chance to interrupt.

"Approximately a year ago, Sakura, Lee, and Gai found him wandering the desert as they were returning from Suna. They, like you," she shot them a meaningful glance, "thought that he was Hidan and engaged him in battle. They found, however, that this 'Hidan' fought and acted differently than the one before."

Temari, to her relief, noticed that the killing intent in their auras had lessened. "They, curious as to the change, brought him back to Konoha with them. And, after running various medical tests and after putting him through several interrogations, Tsunade and the council deemed him safe."

She again rapidly continued since she saw them practically brimming with questions. "It just wasn't possible that he was Hidan. Mamoru, unlike that Akatsuki has no advanced regenerating abilities in his dna makeup; he isn't immortal."

"He also lacks the capability to perform Hidan's style of offense; his body just can't fight effectively while sustaining those types of injuries. So," she gave a dismissive shrug, "short of swapping bodies _and_ adopting a new form of channeling chakra _and_ a new fighting style, there is no way they can be the same person."

To her surprise, some lingering traces of aggression could still be noted on their forms. _Now_ she wondered in exasperation _what's their problem?_

"What exactly," Sai's eyes glittered in barely repressed ferocity, "is this Mamoru's relationship with Sakura?"

The question startled her. _Of all the random- _Her musings, however, were cut short by Yamato's contemptuous snort.

"You four," glowering dark brown eyes narrowed at the males, "lost all rights to jealousy _years_ ago."

Temari, feeling as though she were intruding on a private moment, silently gathered her team and Mamoru for departure. She had already quieted her conscience, now it was time to complete her mission. _I'll let them sort out their own problems _she decided as she moved to leave the Konoha nin behind _I have enough on my plate_.

Their departure was barely noted by the males, they had more pressing matters on their mind.

"You _**know**_ why we left her behind Yamato," the Copy-nin snarled, disliking the other man's condescension towards them.

"What I _know_," he coldly replied, "is that you left a perfectly capable kunoichi behind due to unfounded fears and lack of faith in her abilities."

"That," slitted crimson eyes became more bestial, "is a load of _bullshit_."

"Is it?" The brunette calmly regarded them with disdain. "Leaving like cowards in the dead of night without so much as a goodbye is _not_ what people generally do to valued teammates."

"Bringing that up again, huh?" Naruto sneered at him. "We explained our reasons to you then," the blonde snapped. "You _know_ we wouldn't have been able to leave her behind if we saw her face to face, and you _know_ the danger bringing her along would have placed her in!"

"I'll tell you now what I told you then," he pinned them with a hard glare. "How badly you damage your ties with Sakura is your own business, but don't expect _any _understanding or compassion from me."

Yamato's glare narrowed. "She's happy now, if you do _anything_ to change that," he warned in a deadly whisper, "I'll rip all of you to shreds."

Blazing sharingan eyes fearlessly met his gaze, "_You_ can't keep _us_ from her."

"Oh," he replied with a mirthless chuckle, "I _won't_ be alone."

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Sakura silently took in the madness before her and felt her weariness weigh more heavily upon her. _It looks like I'm not going to be able to make it to the party after all_ she thought in resignation.

Lines of injured shinobi stretched out as far as the eye could see, some bodies mutilated until they became impossible to identify. Harried medics, looking overstressed and sleep deprived, dashed here and there in a vain attempt to keep up with the flood of patients.

Despite the chaos, her presence was quickly noted.

"Sakura-sama!" Multiple voices from multiple locations yelled her name in relief and, before she knew it, she found herself bombarded on all sides with questions and patient cases.

Taking a brief moment to allow all the day's emotional turmoil and insecurities to melt into her subconscious, she closed her eyes and deeply exhaled. _Heal now _she commanded herself _dwell later_.

With that, she swiftly fell into her collected, analytical, and objective medic persona; the persona she needed to endure the next several hours.

Pushing open the hospital doors, never ceasing in barking orders to her fellow medics, Sakura felt at peace. Strangely, though surrounded by death and suffering, she always felt right at home in this place.

This, _this_ was her element. _This_ was her domain; the place where she was most in control.

And right now, she was needed.

Unceremoniously stripping off the outfit she had cooed so long over that morning, she put on her customary medic gear.

Softly sighing, she reached up and rubbed her slightly throbbing temples as she headed to the emergency room. _Something tells me _she thought sardonically as she viewed the constant influx of patients _that I'm not going to sleep much these next few days_.

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**Kudos to anyone who can guess who my inspirtion for Kenji's surname was!**

**Sorry that a confrontation between team seven and Neji and Shikamaru didn't happen.**

**I just couldn't work it in!**

**So, til next time.**

**Later.**


	10. Chapter 10

**I'm not sure anyone got it -since I **_**still**_** can't read my reviews- but Kenji's last name, Kisaragi, was inspired by my favorite Final Fantasy VII character, Yuffie Kisaragi.**

**I thought it kind of fitting since Yuffie is nobility, a princess, and a ninja.**

**This chapter and the last one are mainly fillers, but they're necessary for the set up of future scenes.**

_**And**_** they give necessary information.**

**That being said, there's a few things for you guys to keep in mind in future chapters.**

**Hints/Reminders**

**_Mamoru looks exactly like Hidan (its not a coincidence and they're not the same person…well, not really)_**

**_Temari went to Konoha because of mysterious poisonings around Suna by an unknown substance._**

**_Mamoru was found around Suna._**

**_Kenji found a field of hollow corpses, was attacked by a nonhuman thing, and was given disturbing information and a warning._**

**_Mamoru acts a little childish for a reason (it's not a personality trait or because he's stupid)_**

**That's all the things that I can think of at the moment that need pointing out.**

**So keep those things in mind!**

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Sakura laid her pounding head on her desk, carelessly shoving the towers of paperwork and files to the side. _Just a minute _she thought wearily, completely disregarding the mess she'd just made. _I just need to rest for a minute_.

The medic's drained form slumped over her desk in a boneless heap, only her office chair and the desk itself holding her up; her body, pushed beyond its limits, vehemently protesting movement of any kind.

_Is that my stapler? _Her groggy mind barely registered the hard lump jabbing her cheek. _Eh, _she thought dismissively, _it's not worth moving_.

Though her body completely agreed with her decision, her head -thanks to the _stupid _stapler- was developing an unpleasant throbbing.

_No_, the pinkette growled in determination, _I'm __**not **__going to let this stop my nap_.

Lacking the chakra, and energy, to even attempt to alleviate her rapidly forming headache, she closed tired emerald eyes and resolutely ignored the pain.

It was surprisingly simple to accomplish, all she had to do was focus on her weariness.

She was _exhausted_.

Her shifts, which had already been ridiculously lengthy, had become so long the last two weeks that they actually began to _overlap_ each other.

The hospital staff, despite already having grown accustomed to ungodly hours and endless patients, had found itself overwhelmed by the recent flood of Rain and Grass shinobi.

The two neighboring hidden villages had, it seemed, suddenly decided they could not stand each other. So, like so many other villages before them, they had declared war.

_It's __**not**__ fair _Sakura whined while checking her meager chakra supply. _Why should we have to heal __**both**__ sides? They're eventually just going to send each other here again._

She bore no personal grudge against either village; she just found the practice of healing both sides ridiculous. Seriously, what deranged soul would think patching up warriors on both fronts of the Rain/Grass war, in the _same_ hospital, a good idea?

I mean, come on! The effing morons constantly reinjured themselves by attacking any wounded enemy nin they came across in the hospital, _never_ failing to end up in a _worse_ condition than they started with.

It made healing the stubborn fools ridiculously difficult and time consuming, something she _didn't_ need.

So, in addition to all their other duties, the members of the hospital staff were now also glorified baby sitters. Whoopee.

And, to top off the absolutely_ fabulous _situation, the two sides were proving to be extremely proficient at causing massive damage. It seemed that for every patient they managed to heal, a hundred more from each side came pouring in.

Just _thinking_ about it made her tired.

Chakra depletion, hunger, exhaustion, and stress had become her constant companions these past few days; even _more_ so than usual.

The pinkette let out a soft groan. _What the hell _she thought in exasperation _does a girl have to do around this place to catch a break?_

With a wry grin, the drained woman remembered hospital life before the most recent onslaught of patients. She, fed up with her long shifts and constant low levels of chakra, had, at several moments, grumbled about her situation by stating -mentally of course, she _was_ a professional- that working conditions couldn't get much worse for her.

She had disliked not having time for any semblance of a social life, disliked rarely getting to eat full meals, disliked having such an irregular sleeping schedule.

Then _this_ happened…stupid Murphy's Law.

Sakura's current back-to-back shifts left her with no time to spare, for _anything_. Showers had become five-minute affairs, her meals now consisted solely of soldier pills, and she'd taken to snatching second long naps whenever possible.

But, even though things sucked so badly now, she made a strong effort not to grumble; luck, as she'd discovered, didn't favor her enough for her to risk it.

_It figures _she thought morosely _that I'd possess shishou's horrible luck_.

While pondering the inner workings of fortune, and wondering if bad fortune could be inherited or accidentally learned, an unwelcome noise caught her attention.

Someone was coming down _her_ hall.

_Please_ she begged any listening kami _tell me they're looking for someone __**else**_. It was worth a shot, wasn't it? She was bound to catch a break sometime…right?

Hearing that the soft footsteps were indeed approaching _her_ door, she let out a mental groan. _You've __**got**__ to be kidding me _she thought acidly _I __**just**__ got here_.

She'd been hoping for at least a minute or two of uninterrupted sleep. _I guess _worn out emerald narrowed in annoyance _that was too much to ask for_.

In spite of her approaching -unwanted- visitor, she made no effort to lift her head. If that person had to talk to her so badly, then they could just freaking deal with it.

She was too _tired_ to care about appearances.

In an effort to milk the few moments of relaxation she had left, she closed tired eyes again in an attempt to catch a quick nap; luck, like always, was not on her side.

Mere seconds later, she heard the soft knocking on her door.

The sound aggravated her pounding head and she was _sorely_ tempted to tell the intruder just where they could shove their hand; but then her annoying sense of duty, and her equally irritating conscience, kicked in.

Still sprawled across her desk, she, reluctantly, told the person to enter.

"Sakura?"

The medic froze at the voice, instantly recognizing it.

"What," with great effort she lifted herself from her temporary bed, "are _you_ doing here?" Confused green eyes gazed at the male, silently asking for an explanation.

The redhead ignored her question. "You," displeased jade eyes took in her haggard features, "look like hell."

Sakura immediately bristled at the insult. "Yeah, well I'd like to see how _you'd_ look after two weeks of no sleep and nothing but soldier pills," she snapped, narrowing flashing viridian eyes.

His own eyes narrowed at her words. _Two __**weeks**_he thought darkly. _They let her do this to herself for two __**weeks**__? _And what's worse, he highly suspected she'd been treating herself similarly for much longer than that.

The thought angered him.

Since Gaara was now doing his best impersonation of a rock, the medic let her head plop back down on her cluttered desk with the full intention of going ahead with her nap.

_If he didn't feel like talking _she thought waspishly _why the hell did he come bother me?_

Deciding to put off contemplating the sand kage's questionable reasoning abilities for another time, Sakura drifted off to sleep.

…only to jerk awake soon after.

"What the _hell_ Gaara?!" Sakura furiously glared at the apathetic male. "Let me go!"

Her merely tightened his sand's hold on her and sent her a reprimanding look. "There's no point struggling," he calmly informed her, "you won't break free."

The cranky female glared harder. "I'm _not_ in the mood to play games Gaara."

"Good," he exited her office and headed down the hall, a livid Sakura trailing behind him like a human kite, "neither am I."

Sensing she was about to respond, the redhead quickly wrapped a tendril of sand over her mouth. "We'll talk," he pointedly ignored her muffled snarls, "once you calm down."

_**Calm down **_she thought incredulously. _He binds, then __**gags**__, me and he has the __**nerve**__ to tell me to 'calm down?!_

If looks could kill, Suna would soon need a new Kazekage.

Gaara continued to make his way out of the hospital, impervious to all the stares he and Sakura were receiving. _It's for her own good _he coldly glared at all the people in his way. _She needs a proper meal and rest _a hard glint entered jade eyes _and I'm going to make sure she gets it_.

Though he maintained an impassive outward façade, inside he was furious.

He'd arrived in Konoha ten days ago and had spent nearly every minute so far trying to get in contact with the rosy-haired medic. Every time, however, he was told that she was in surgery or attending to political matters.

The unchanging responses had caused him to become increasingly alarmed.

When, he'd wondered, did Sakura sleep? He asked for her almost every hour, so there was no possible way he was overlooking her breaks. Concerned for the medic's well-being, he placed one of his spying sand eyes in her office.

The results did not please him.

Sakura, he discovered, never rested; at least, never for very long. She breezed in and out of her office, only stopping in to look for a certain file or to drop one off.

But, though he knew she wasn't taking care of herself, he hadn't known how badly she was neglecting her health until a few moments ago.

The moment she'd sat down to rest, he -informed by his sand eye- had rapidly made his way to her office. She was, after all, the sole reason he came to Konoha, he was determined to see her.

His original plan had been to make dinner plans with the medic and to ensure a second meeting with her, that, however, changed the instant he saw her.

He hadn't been lying when he'd told her she looked terrible. Her features were rough and haggard from lack of sleep, her eyes bloodshot and bruised underneath due to long hours, her cheeks slightly sunk in from lack of nutrition. In short, Sakura looked like a warmed over corpse.

Something he was dead set on rectifying.

_Since your leaf 'friends'_ iced over jade narrowed _couldn't be bothered to look after you, __**I**__ will make you __**my**__ responsibility_. _And_ his glare darkened _you'll find I carefully tend to what is __**mine**_.

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Naruto stared glumly at his ramen, unable to work up even a fraction of his usual enthusiasm. The mixture of noodles and toppings just wasn't doing it for him today. With a moody sigh, he absentmindedly shoved his bowl away.

A wide-eyed Kiba looked on.

"Are you sick or something, Naruto?" The canine aficionado shook his head in disbelief, "I don't think I've _ever_ seen you turn down _ramen_."

"Shut up dog-boy," the blonde muttered irritably, "I'm just not that hungry."

Kiba scoffed, "Since when has _that_ stopped you?" Seeing the downcast expression on his friend's face, the Inuzuka quickly sobered. "But seriously, what's up with you? You're getting to be as bad as the rest of your angsty team."

The blonde answered with a dismissive shrug.

"I _really _don't get you or your team," the brunette male casually leaned back on his stool as he pressed on. "All you team seven guys have _everything_ you could ever want. Ya'll have," Kiba started ticking things off on his fingers, "devoted mobs of fan girls, legendary status as shinobi, wealth, elite anbu positions, and the adoration and loyalty of Konoha."

"So _what_," he exclaimed in exasperation, "the _**hell**_ has your entire team so depressed?"

"You," Naruto softly whispered without looking in his direction, "wouldn't understand." Before Kiba could respond, the blonde lay down the money to cover his meal and strode out of the ramen shack.

Quietly observing the numerous pairs of adoring female eyes trailing after the oblivious Uzumaki, the canine shinobi whole-heartedly agreed.

_Stupid Kiba _glowering azure eyes turned inward _what the __**hell **__does that bastard know about __**anything**_.

Naruto couldn't care _less_ about his wealth, status, or popularity; all he really wanted, all he'd ever wanted, was for team seven to be whole again.

His team was his family, the_ only _family he'd ever known. And, though they'd never admit it, he knew the others viewed the team as family too.

How couldn't they?

He, Kakashi, Sai, Sasuke, and Yamato all possessed painful childhoods; childhoods scarred by loneliness, abandonment, violence, and rejection. They all, despite being hidden behind several barriers, shared the same battered heart.

So it made sense that they would eventually develop strong bonds with the only people they grew to trust, especially with a certain kind-hearted kunoichi.

A soft smile curved Naruto's mouth as he thought of the medic. _Sakura-chan _he mused fondly _has always had a thing for troubled souls. _

And he was eternally grateful to kami that she did. If she hadn't…if she hadn't, team seven would have _never_ succeeded. They -the males- were all either too emotionally stunted or scarred to form a healthy working relationship with each other, too scared to let anyone close.

But she, with a relatively happy childhood, had had no such reservations, and, with much gusto, had taken up the role of peacekeeper and counselor.

She, overtime, became team seven's soul, replacing their own damaged ones.

_Then we __**had**__ to go and hurt her_, he thought in self-hatred, _had to go and hurt the __**one**__ person who truly cared for us_.

They were such _idiots_!

Naruto bite back the snarl clawing its way up his throat; thinking about his past mistakes with Sakura always put him in a bad mood. _I_ the agitated male flexed tense muscles _need a good spar_.

Sparring, once done for the thrill and the challenge, was nothing more than an outlet for his frustration and anger these days.

Driven by the need for constructive violence, his preferred coping method, the blonde took to the rooftops in search of one of his teammates; they were the only ones he count on to give him a challenge.

Luckily, it wasn't long before he met up with Sai.

"Hey Dickless," he casually greeted, coming to a rest in front of him. Noticing Naruto's abnormal silence and tight features, the artist took a stab at identifying the problem. "The ramen stand finally banned you?"

The blonde lifted tormented azure eyes to his teammate. "I wish," he muttered, "that wouldn't hurt this much."

Onyx darkened in understanding.

The ink nin knew all too well the cause of the Uzumaki's grief…he too possessed the same eyes.

"Training field?"

Giving the ex-Root member a grateful glance, Naruto nodded in confirmation.

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Sakura had, resignedly, come to accept her newest lot in life; namely, being a certain homicidal sand kage's human-sized kite thingy.

_It's nice to know _she thought caustically _that my new occupation is putting all my years of training to good use_.

Stupid Gaara.

As if reading her mind, the redhead shot her a quelling look over his shoulder. "If I could trust you to cooperate," he drawled, "I'd let you walk."

She narrowed emerald eyes and nonverbally told him to stuff it.

A sharp poke by his sand was her only response.

Since the stupid Kazekage seemed immune to her death glare, Sakura unleashed it on all the staring pedestrians around them. _What's the matter _the cranky female snapped _never seen a pink-haired medic suspended by sand before?_

They, cowed by her blazing eyes, shied away from the odd duo. _That's right _she jeered _step away from the crazy female._

Two people, however, refused to be scared away.

"Kazekage-sama," puzzled silver eyes studied the fuming medic cocooned in sand, "what are you doing?"

The redhead turned biting jade towards them. "Something," coldly replied, "that you two should've done a long time ago."

Shikamaru frowned lightly, "And what is that exactly?"

"Taking care of Sakura."

Instead of becoming defensive, the two shinobi grew concerned. "What's wrong with her," Neji demanded, moving closer to the bound medic. "Is she hurt?"

The sand nin saw the genuine worry on the two men. _So they didn't know about her condition_ he mused. Hard jade silently evaluated the leaf shinobi before him, taking in their anxious eyes and tense bodies. _I'll overlook look their carelessness…this __**one **__time _he decided_._

Lowering the rosy-haired kunoichi, Gaara let them see the damage for themselves.

Limp pink locks hanging messily around a slightly gaunt face, furious green eyes bleary from self-induced insomnia, body drooping with exhaustion despite her best efforts to conceal it; she appeared seconds away from breaking down.

"She," the upset Nara breathed, "looks _horrible_."

The irate female violently struggled in her sand cage at his words, itching to tear the shadow wielder a new one for insulting her.

_First he calls me __**fat **_she snarled **then**_ he calls me __**ugly**__! _Sakura thrashed more aggressively as she remembered the past slight._ We'll see how pretty __**he**__ looks after __**I'm**__ through with him!_

Shikamaru, instead of repenting in the face of her anger, put her body in a shadow bind. "Stop being troublesome woman," he shifted the shadow more securely around her, "you'll just end up hurting yourself if you keep this up."

If her muffled shrieks of traitor were anything to go by, she wasn't very happy with the Nara clansman at the moment.

"It's for your own good Sakura," Neji said soothingly in an attempt to calm her.

She, furious with them all, didn't dignify his statement with a response.

Seeing that Sakura was choosing to be difficult, they raised her back into the air and started discussing what to do with her.

The pinkette, deciding to use their distraction to her advantage, began channeling the last remnants of her chakra into her four limbs.

_Just keep ignoring me_, she thought vengefully, _just_ _stay preoccupied until __**after**__ I get out of this to kill you_.

Unfortunately, Neji's Byakugan had completely slipped her mind.

"Don't even think about it Sakura," he warned. "You wouldn't want me to block your chakra points, would you?"

Looking very much like a riled up kitten, complete with angry hisses and growls, Sakura's flaming emerald eyes promised them death.

"This," Shikamaru informed them with a groan as he looked at the raging female, "is going to be troublesome."

"She'll get over it," the kage said dismissively, scanning the collection of shops and restaurants on the street. "Where's her favorite restaurant?"

Neji pointed ahead, "Two blocks down on our next right."

Gaara gave a slight nod of understanding and, disregarding the muffled death threats the enraged Sakura was roaring at them, they calmly made their way to the eating establishment.

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Sasuke reluctantly trudged along with his three teammates, absently wondering how the hell Naruto had convinced him and the others to go out on a team lunch.

_I must have gone temporarily insane _he groused, gritting his teeth in irritation as he spotted yet _another_ group of giggling females trailing them.

_Don't they have anything better to do _he wondered irately, and angry tick apparent on his forehead. _Fucking Naruto._

He trained a deep scowl in the kyuubi's direction; if not for the _damn _blonde's annoying persistence he would be home right now, free to brood in peace.

…to think of Sakura in peace.

His already foul mood took a turn for the worse as he thought of the medic, as he thought of how _severely_ he'd fucked things up with her.

_I can't even get in touch with her_ his scowl deepened as he clenched his fists in frustration. _How the __**fuck **_stressed obsidian eyes flashed _am I suppose to make it up to her when I can't __**contact**__ her? _

Caught up in his thoughts, he failed to notice they had arrived at the restaurant until he stepped through the front doors.

_What the-?_

This _wasn't_ the type of place his teammate usually dragged them to; it wasn't a ramen shop, this place actually served _food_.

Looking around at the welcoming, cozy, interior of the place, and looking down at the tempura dominated menu, he looked at Naruto and raised one questioning eyebrow.

Naruto's gave a careless shrug and a bright grin that didn't reach his eyes, "It seemed," his cheery voice rang false in Sasuke's ears, "like the sorta place Sakura would like."

Sasuke's eyes darkened in understanding as a somber silence enveloped their table. _Of course _a flicker of pain passed through his onyx depths. _It's pathetic _he thought morosely as he stared unseeingly at his menu _how desperate we are to get close to her_.

Before any of the four solemn males could drift too deeply into their thoughts, however, a disturbance at the door disrupted their musings.

_**Fuck! **_Annoyed dark eyes flashed in anger at the interruption. _Can't a guy get a __**fucking**__ moment to brood in this village?_

Turning his head slightly, the irritated Uchiha glared at the source of the noise…and quickly became _furious_.

There was _his_ Sakura, helplessly trapped in a combination of sand and shadow, looking absolutely outraged at her current treatment.

Narrowing flashing dark eyes, he immediately sprinted towards her.

…only to be viciously knocked back by a wall of sand soon after.

Crashing against the far left wall, he heard a trio of thuds land near him. _So the others went too _he thought dazedly, his head still reeling from the harsh blow. Roughly shaking his disorientation away, he stood to face his attacker.

"What," he growled through clenched teeth, "the _hell _are you doing with _my _teammate Kazekage?"

The redhead's jade eyes became puzzled, "I haven't been in contact with any of your teammates in months, Uchiha. Now," a hard glint entered jade, "why did your team charge us?"

Naruto, having heard the exchange, pointed furiously at the bound Sakura. "Because you're treating _our _teammate like _that_," he snapped, crimson outlining his azure eyes.

"Teammate?" The sand nin looked genuinely confused. "I wasn't aware Sakura was part of a team."

Turning his head as he felt a surge of chakra coming from the discussed female, he missed team seven's mirroring looks of shock as he examined the medic. He decided to drop the tendril of sand silencing her when he sensed that the cocooned kunoichi's patience was rapidly approaching its limit.

_It's not as if my sand was very effective in keeping her quiet anyway _he thought with a smirk that was equal parts amusement and aggravation.

"About _freaking _time," flaming emerald eyes glared at the wind kage and her two best friends. "Now free my _body_ and things'll be just _peachy_."

Sheepishly scratching the back of his neck, Shikamaru hesitantly answered the snarling medic. "We would Sakura, really, it's just that we can't trust you to act reasonably right now."

"Can't trust _**me**_ to act _reasonably_!" she roared. "_**Gaara's**_ the one who _kidnapped_ me from my office, _bound _me like some criminal, and _gagged_ me! And _you_ two," murderous green eyes pinned the Hyuuga and the Nara, "went _**along**_ with him!"

"So _don't_," she snarled, "talk to _**me**_ about acting _**reasonably**_!"

Seeing that talking to Sakura was a lost cause at the moment, the Nara slowly backed away from the fire-breathing female.

_All right_ he thought nervously _I'll just talk to her later_. Feeling relatively safe since the pinkette was wrapped up to her neck, he turned his attention to the discussion in front of him. A surreptitious glace out of the corner of his eye showed him that Sakura was equally interested in what was being said.

Kakashi, though angry, knew the sand leader rarely acted without good reason. With this in mind, he held up a hand as a silent signal to his teammates to stand down. "Why such extreme measures?"

"She hasn't been taking care of herself lately, and I knew she would listen to reason." Hairless brows lightly furrowed, "Why the interest?"

"Because," Sai's monotone carried a hint of steel, "she's a member of team seven."

Before Sakura, who'd been intently listening, could refute that statement, Neji did so for her. "Sakura hasn't been part of a team since her genin days," the Hyuuga moved to stand by the still suspended kunoichi, positioning his body as a shield between her and team seven.

Gaara's forehead smoothed in understanding as he remembered those bits of the past, "That's right," he murmured, "Sakura was part of your genin team, wasn't she Naruto?"

His blonde leaf friend tensed at the question. "What do you mean '_was_ part of my genin team'? She still _is_ part of my team!"

It was Sakura's turn to look confused. "What in the world are you talking about-?" She let her sentence hang awkwardly as she came to the startling realization that she didn't know how to address any of her ex-teammates.

_I haven't even directly addressed them so far _she thought in slight wonderment. _How the __**hell**__ did I pull that off?_

Quickly wrangling in her wayward thoughts, she mused on what to call them. _There's __**no**__ way I'm calling any of those bastards 'sama'. _She pursed her lips in thought. _And calling them by their first name feels too personal, as does calling them 'kun' or 'san'_.

The pinkette smiled wryly as she considered her options, or rather _option_. _Well I guess that answers __**that **__question_.

Surnames it was.

More comfortable addressing her old team now that she had decided how to, well, _address_ them; she set about clearing up Naruto's confusion. "I was taken off team seven's register over six years ago, Uzumaki; about a week or so after you guys left to get the Uchiha. So there's no reason for any of you to consider, or to call, me a teammate."

Naruto, at the rest of her old genin team, appeared shell-shocked. "Taken _off_?" the blonde softly whispered, looking a bit lost, "_Why_ would grandma Tsunade do something like that?"

Sakura quickly jumped to her shishou's defense. "There really wasn't anything shishou could do about it. Since I was only a member of team seven for about a year -not nearly enough time for me to become an irreplaceable fixture- and since I wouldn't be able to train with you guys after you left the village -something members are required to do if they wish to remain part of the team-, the council decided to take me off team seven's register."

The medic gave as much of a shrug as was possible in her situation. "It was either that or label the lot of you missing nin, leaving me as the sole member of team seven." The pinkette regarded cell seven with wry, slightly bitter eyes, "And the council's lust for power is too strong for them to do something as stupid as _that_."

Somehow feeling even more tired than she had previously, Sakura wearily slumped in her sandy cocoon. "Hey Gaara," she called softly, "mind taking me to a pastry shop? I'm in some serious need of sugar right now."

The redhead, an experienced leader, knew how to pick his battles. He nodded in the kunoichi's direction. _I'll just have to force her to eat a healthy meal afterwards. _

Leaving a group of stunned males behind, the trio of leaf nins and the wind kage left the restaurant.

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**This update was a pain in the butt to write.**

**I have so many scenes I want to get to already that writing the events that lead up to them sometimes gets to be a little tedious.**

**Oh well.**

**Later. **


	11. Chapter 11

**Hehe, long no see aye guys?**

**I know it's been a ridiculously long time since I've updated this fic.**

**All I can say is that inspiration has been slow in coming.**

**The first half of this chapter has been written for a loooooong time, it was just the second half I needed.**

**And even then, this chapter is considerably shorter than previous ones.**

**I hope this bout of writer's block eases up soon.**

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_**Love is like a war:Easy to begin Hard to end**_

**Ancient Proverb**

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_No longer part of team seven? _Lost blue eyes lingered dazedly on the restaurant door, his numb mind unable to grasp the notion._ A team seven without Sakura-chan? _

The phrase itself was an oxymoron; there _was_ no team seven without Sakura. So why did the medic claim it was true?

The confused blonde slumped against the restaurant wall, his muddled mind trying to make sense of the new information. Sasuke, however, had a less passive reaction.

_**"Fuck that**__.__**"**_

The whispered growl drew Naruto partially from his musings, "Fuck what teme?" he questioned the Uchiha absently, glazed blue eyes a million miles away.

Sasuke pushed himself off the wall with enviable grace, flashing obsidian glaring harshly in the direction of the hokage tower. "_**Fuck**_ the council," he snarled, anger making his eyes bleed crimson. "Sakura is _**our **_teammate, and anyone who _thinks_ they can make it otherwise," sharingan narrowed as electricity crackled along his fingertips, "will pay."

A firm hand came down on the seething Uchiha's shoulder, "As _much_ as I enjoy pointless shows of aggression," Kakashi coolly drawled, eyes cold, "now is not the time."

Sai glanced at the copy-nin, his gaze speculative.

Years of traveling together with his old sensei had made the artist adept at reading minute changes in his body language; and now, by the firm set of the silver-haired nin's shoulders, by the slight furrowing of his eyebrows, by his deceptively casual stance, it was clear that he had a plan.

Knowing that Kakashi would only voice his thoughts once he'd thoroughly analyzed and weighed the pros and cons of every aspect of them, the ex-Root member settled against the wall and patiently waited, content to view the show unfolding in front of him.

Sasuke roughly shook the offending hand off. "I don't see _you_ doing anything," he snapped.

"No you don't," the copy nin agreed amiably, "but thinking doesn't usually require much movement." Seeing some of the tension leave Sasuke's shoulders, the elder shinobi relaxed his stance.

"What do you have in mind?"

A hard glint entered Kakashi's visible eye. "I think we should visit the council," his lips quirked into a cold smirk, "it's been a while since we've last seen them. And we have a lot of things to…discuss."

At his words, Naruto snapped out of his trance. The blonde's blue eyes darkened in malicious merriment, "Then what the hell are we standing around here for? Let's go already!"

If Sai didn't loathe the council members so much, he might have felt some sympathy for them as he viewed the ruthless expressions on his teammates. But that wasn't the case, and his face was just as merciless as the rest of theirs.

"Ready or not, here we come," he whispered, his normal smile taking on a crueler edge as he followed the others out the door.

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Shikamaru watched in slight concern as Sakura downed her fifth cream puff. "Umm, don't you think that's enough Sakura?" he questioned hesitantly. "You're just going to make yourself sick if you keep eating so much sugar."

Still testy over their earlier treatment of her, she snapped back. "Really so concerned Shika? Or is that just your new way of telling me I'm getting fat?"

The shadow-wielder fought the urge to rub his temples. _She __**still**__ remembers that?_ "You're not going to let that go anytime soon, are you?" he mumbled under his breath, regretting having said anything about her outfit that day.

He shrank at the fierce glare she pinned him with. _Guess I said that too loud_.

Luckily, Neji came to his defense.

"He's right you know," the brunette's quick hands snatched the tray of cream puffs away from her, "it's unhealthy to eat so many sweets on an empty stomach."

Then, without so much as a blink of an eye, the bastard started eating them! _He_, emerald took on a deadly glint, _will pay for that_.

The pinkette, furious over the theft of _her_ sweets, lunged at the damned Hyuuga, fully prepared to fight to the death to get her cream puffs back.

She'd _earned_ them damnit!

If surviving an unpleasant encounter with ex-teammates, being dragged through the entire village while doing an unwilling impersonation of a human kite, _and_ not killing said ex-teammates or the culprits behind her impromptu kidnapping didn't earn her the right to binge on her favorite pastries, she didn't know what the _**hell**_ would.

They'd thought her psycho before, huh?

Well they were about to see _just_ how freaking postal she could be! _You're a dead man Neji._

Before she had even completely left her seat, however, a tendril of sand yanked her down and anchored her firmly to her seat.

_What the __**hell**__?!? _What did a kunoichi have to around here to catch a fucking break?!?

Flashing emerald snapped in the direction of the culprit. "Let. Me. _Go_." she hissed through clenched teeth, completely fed up with being man-handled (or in this case sand-handled) by the sand nin. Good relations with sand be damned! She was going to seriously _maim_ their Kazekage if he didn't release her soon.

The redhead, for his part, seemed completely unconcerned with the death glare aimed in his direction. "You always are disagreeable when not well fed," he mused to himself, his sand shifting over her more securely.

Sakura flipped him off mentally, unable to do more since his sand had -once again!- wrapped her up in a cocoon and gagged her.

Gaara's brows furrowed slightly as he considered his next course of action. If left to her own devices he had no doubt Sakura would eat her own weight in sugary pastries, not something particularly conducive to her health.

Yet, forcing her _not_ to eat said pastries would just put her in a foul mood and would leave him dealing with a cranky and violent Sakura for an indeterminate length of time.

A no-win situation overall.

_Unless_, jade eyes lightened imperceptibly, _she's led to believe it's all her idea_.

The kunoichi was a medic-nin, a compassionate medic-nin. It was in her nature to nurture and tend to the welfare of those around her. All he had to do was play off of that.

Angling his body away from the female nin, Gaara subtly snuck enough sand under his shirt to form a thin band around his lower torso. Then, using a modified version of the desert coffin, he applied enough pressure so that the two walls of his stomach lightly touched.

_**Grrrrrrrrrrr.**_

The redhead even added a faint blush to finish off the act. _Perfect._

Sakura's flinty emerald eyes immediately softened. Here she was acting like a royal brat just because Gaara had cared enough to make sure she hadn't died in her office or something and wanted to take her out for a real meal, while the poor redhead, like the considerate idiot he was, disregarded his own needs.

At a violent head jerk from her, the sand nin removed her sand gag.

The pinkette gave the kage a sheepish smile. "Sorry for all the drama, in my defense, however, I've had a long series of bad days." Hopeful eyes met his, "I know of a really good café down the street, would you care to join me Gaara?"

The nin resisted the urge to smirk and inclined his head in agreement. He lowered her to the ground and released her from her temporary sand prison.

Sakura was quick to grab his arm and lead/drag him to the café, scolding him all the way for starving himself. "Really Gaara, you should know better than _this_. You're a kage for kami's sake!"

Two flabbergasted shinobi were left in their wake.

Disbelieving coffee eyes stared after the duo, "What the _hell_ just happened?"

"I think…I think the Kazekage just duped Sakura," a shell-shocked Neji answered slowly, not quite believing it himself.

Who knew the redhead was such a sneaky bastard?

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Kenji's solemn eyes took in the figures seated around the makeshift table. All of them were decorated generals, the finest soldiers the land of fire had to offer.

_It seems I'll be seeing Konoha sooner than I thought_, he mused glumly.

His report about the strange creatures he had encountered on the battlefield, coupled with an increase in violence along their borders from Water country soldiers, had prompted his father and the council to speed up their preparations for war.

A messenger, in fact, had been deployed earlier that week to the hidden leaf village to inform them of their sooner-than-expected arrival. For all his fascination with Konoha, Kenji couldn't help but wish the visit was prompted by happier circumstances.

But all the wishing in the world would not change reality, they were going to war.

They would soon be meeting with all their allies, soon be leading countless men to bloody battles where many would lose their lives. Chocolate eyes shuttered as Kenji felt the heavy burden of leadership weigh down his shoulders.

He loved his country and would give his very life and soul to defend it, but the thought of sending countless soldiers to their possible deaths left his conscience unsettled.

A soft sigh left his lips. It seemed he was doomed to always be torn between his two greatest loves, his country and peace. Why was it so difficult to keep both?

"Kenji? Do you have something to add?" The azure haired young man started as he realized that his sigh had attracted the attention of his neighbor, General Hitoyoma.

He gave a slight shake of negation, "No, I was just thinking."

The general gave him a friendly smile, "These meetings are mind numbingly dull at times, but try to stay alert my Prince." The man added in a whisper, "Though it doesn't help that they usually turn into pissing contests between some of these self-important idiots."

Kenji disguised his laugh with a polite cough. In a perfectly dull tone he replied, "To true." His twinkling eyes, however, betrayed his amusement.

_I owe him one_. The general, albeit unknowingly, had drawn him out of his somber musings.

Thankfully, the meeting was wrapping up. The young noble wasn't sure how much longer he would last before his mind wandered again.

His father gave some final instructions to the cavalry captains, then, at long last, signaled the meeting adjourned. Kenji knew, however, that he was not yet dismissed.

The daimyo indicated with a jerk of his head that Kenji follow, not bothering with words. Though he knew his father meant no insult, the prince couldn't help but feel like a trained dog in these moments.

He pushed down his feelings of indignation, just as he always did, and obediently followed his father into a more secluded room of the tent.

"We arrive in Konoha tomorrow morning Kenji."

_Obviously_, the prince thought but bit back the quip, knowing his father would not appreciated the disrespect. He instead settled with a simple nod of acknowledgement.

"The Hokage has already graciously granted my request to make Konoha our base of operation and has insured me that we can count on them as allies."

Kenji remained silent, waiting for his father to get to the point.

"And, as you know, I had already begun searching for a suitable bride for you before this war even started."

The azure-haired noble furrowed his brows in puzzlement, wondering how that even related to the topic at hand. "Yes, I'm aware of that father."

"So, since Konoha is likely to be the safest location throughout this war, it's been decided that all your prospective brides should reside there. I tell you this because you will be expected spend time with them when not in strategy meetings."

Kenji didn't know whether to be outraged or amused. "Are you telling me that I'm expected to court young ladies while our soldiers are being slaughtered on the battlefield father? That I, their future leader, am to stay safely with the walls of Konoha only making token appearances at strategy meetings while they go out and defend our country?"

His father sighed. "Don't be difficult Kenji. The majority of our casualties have been at the hand of mist nin, who Konoha is more than capable of handling leaving us with just the civilian army to deal with. So your presence at meetings, while appreciated, will most likely be unnecessary. Your time in Konoha would be better spent selecting a bride; it would be a comfort to the people to know that our line's succession is being secured."

Kenji viciously clenched his teeth, not trusting himself to speak.

His father took his silence as a sign of agreement. "I'm glad you understand son." He then strode out the door, leaving behind his silently fuming heir.

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"What do you mean she _can't_ be 'put' on team seven?" Kakashi's visible eye turned deadly. "She's _always_ been a member. All I'm asking you to do is make it official."

The elder man shifted uncomfortably. "It's out of my hands Hatake-sama, once ninja become chuunin, they are no longer considered to be on their genin teams. I can't even put Haruno-san as having been on team seven since she began apprenticeship under the Godaime as a genin and became a chuunin with a different team."

"Then make an exception." The demand was issued in a deceptively calm tone.

The unfortunate council member was sweating profusely under the combined glares of Konoha's legendary team seven. Still, he made a valiant effort to appear unaffected. "I'm sorry Hatake-sama, but only the Hokage herself can do what you're asking of me."

"Perhaps I wasn't clear," Kakashi gave the council a deceptively friendly smile," I want you, the governing members of Konoha, to include Sakura, who is and has always been a member of team seven, on the official registrar of team seven."

"But we _can't_ do that!" A council member exclaimed desperately. "Believe me, if it was within our power it would already be done."

Another member bobbed their head frantically in agreement. "Ordinarily we could grant your request, but Haruno-san is not within our jurisdiction. She is the Godaime's apprentice, so anything pertaining her has to go through her mentor."

"You'll just have to get my request approved by the Hokage then, won't you," the copy nin replied, his visible brow arched.

The council visibly wilted.

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**This chap is dedicated to: dreamgirl389, Banana n Donut, deadlyblossom, and waterflame4991**

**They reminded me that there were still readers out there waiting for updates.**

**Lol, I'm not sure how long I would have taken if left to my own devices.**

**So, until next time…**

**Later.**


	12. Chapter 12

**I'm back from the dead!**

**Well, not really but it sure may seem like it to y'all.**

**I'm determined to finish this fic, and all my fics for that matter, but my muse is not cooperating.**

**Soon I'm going to have to resort to either bribery or blackmail to end my bout of writer's block.**

'**cause asking my muse nicely hasn't worked so far.**

**U-.- **

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**Also I want to give a special thanks to:**

**deepcutfighter**

**waterflame4991**

**sousie**

**nodirection**

**These guys reminded me that there were readers out there that were waiting for an update.**

**This then prompted me to read all the reviews y'all were awesome enough to keep dropping.**

**Lol, it made me feel guilty about my laziness and got my procrastinating arse to write.**

**Thanks guys!**

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_**Love is much like a wild rose, beautiful and calm, but willing to draw blood in its defense.**_

**Mark A. Overby**

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Sakura trudged wearily up her walkway, absentmindedly searching her pockets for her house key as she did so, without any luck whatsoever so far. _Where the hell did I put the damn thing?_ She'd already emptied out six freaking pockets on her vest, and been startled at just how much random, useless junk she'd unknowingly kept stored. _Sheesh, why the hell do I even have a __**mini-slinky**__ on me?_

Honestly, at times she was thoroughly convinced that her pockets were somehow connected to black holes. Selective black holes that swallowed up important items such as, oh say, her freaking MIA house key while eagerly coughing up all matter of worthless crap, like the stupid mini-slinky with mysterious origins. Where had the damn thing come from anyway? She certainly had no memory of ever buying the thing, much less putting it in one of her pockets.

She supposed it was just something to ponder some other day. She was just too damn tired to care much about anything right now, longing to collapse on her comfy couch and sleep for at least three days. Her bed was more ideal, but she seriously doubted she could make it that far in her current condition.

This past week had been _hell_.

And that was saying something considering she'd already thought her job was pretty damn hellish. But this past week, between the preparations for the daimyo's upcoming arrival, her ever-mounting hospital duties, and the village's war preparations she'd found herself stretched so thin she seriously thought she would internally combust from all the stress and sleep deprivation.

And that wasn't taking into consideration the extra work she was doing for Suna. Her mind drifted back to the last conversation she'd had with Gaara before he'd returned to his village…

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_Puzzled jade eyes stared at her across the small café table in question. "The poisonings weren't intentional?" There was an element of disbelief in his tone, as if unable to grasp her reasoning._

_She nodded, her eyes glazing over in thought. "The samples you sent all had the same organic base with only small variations in the overall composition, which makes me think they all originate from the same source." Sakura paused and took a small sip of her espresso, thinking of how best to word the situation._

_"The poison is relatively nonreactive against most elements and chemicals but has very weak, soluble bonds. All known cases of poisonings have been taking place around oasis settlements, right?" Gaara nodded, the puzzlement in his eyes fading as he began to understand._

_"As I said, the poison is relatively nonreactive, benign really if left isolated. But its properties change when it bonds with water, making it into a type of biocide that attacks the nervous system and gradually liquefies the body. It's…an extremely painful process."_

_"It sounds like an effective weapon. Are you absolutely sure the attacks weren't intentional?" The kazekage's face was stone, his full attention on the medic seated before him._

_"I'm fairly confident, mainly because of their choice of location." His eyes narrowed, nonverbally prodding her to go on. "Of all possible places, these poisonings are happening in Suna, the place where their poison is the most ineffective due to the lack of liquid water."_

_"That's why I'm more inclined to believe that the poisoning are not attacks, but rather experimentation sites gone awry." She cradled her espresso in her hands, studying the redhead's reaction._

_Gaara's eyes were closed off, hiding his thoughts as he contemplated her words. After a few moments, jade immediately sharpened as it pinned emerald. "That doesn't make the source any less dangerous." _

_Sakura nodded in agreement. "But that isn't all Gaara," she paused, hesitant to continue. "While breaking down the components of the poison's organic base I found that, sequentially, the strands are a perfect match for…Mamoru."_

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Of course Gaara had then promptly overreacted, wanting to hunt down poor Mamoru to demand an explanation. As if her little darling even knew what the hell was going on! Gaara was lucky she was fond of him, otherwise she'd have castrated him for daring to threaten Mamoru.

Still, the situation did require answers. If Suna, Konoha's strongest ally, was facing a threat, then Konoha had to be ready to come to their aid.

The pinkette fought the urge to snarl in frustration. It sometimes felt like the whole damn _universe_ was conspiring against them. If the sand village was indeed being invaded by an enemy, then Konoha was going to be forced to fight two wars simultaneously while treating warriors from the _other _ongoing wars as well.

And since she had the fucktastically grand luck of being the Godaime's apprentice, she was going to be one of the people bearing the brunt of the strain.

Sakura roughly shook her head, forcibly dispelling the self-pitying thoughts. Where the hell did she get off complaining about her workload? She should be proud that she was trusted with so much; proud that she could make things easier on her seriously overworked shishou.

She sighed. Man, if she was getting _this_ emo then she was in dire need of some shut-eye.

Since her house key was still pulling its Houdini act, and since she was already at her front door, the kunoichi decided that she would just knock the blasted thing down. She'd fix it tomorrow or, more likely, threaten Yamato to; she was in no mood to continue searching for her elusive key.

Just as she gripped the edges of the door to pull the whole damn thing off, however, a cheerful silver-haired male popped his head out the door, scaring the crap out of Sakura. "Nee-chan!!! You're finally home!" The overjoyed male enveloped the hyperventilating female in a bone-crushing bear hug.

"I've been waiting _all_ day for you! Are you hungry? Nii-san said we are going out for dinner later but I can make you something now if you want. We don't have tofu though, so I wouldn't be able to make miso soup. But if you really want miso I can always make a quick run to the grocery store. Or would you like me to draw a bath for you? I picked up a jar of those lavender bath salts you like earlier today. Oh, I know! Do you want to play a game? I've gotten better at shogi, Nara-san said so!" This was all said in one continuous breath, making Sakura, who had by now managed to get her heart rate back to normal, worry that the excited male would pass out from lack of oxygen.

Still in Mamoru's arms, she patted his head in an effort to calm him and wondered which of his barrage of questions to address first. "All I really want to do is sleep right now sweetie, we can play a game after we go to dinner with Yamato if you want to."

The tall male immediately frowned in concern, intensely scrutinizing Sakura's worn features. Then, with a small nod to himself, proceeded to carry her to her bedroom. The pinkette didn't even attempt to protest the manhandling, he was actually doing her a favor because there was no way she would have been able to drag herself to bed otherwise.

As they passed Yamato's room, the absence of the anbu finally registered in her mind. She wondered where the brunette was since she knew he was off-duty for the day and the man was more inclined to lounge about the house than do anything productive in his free time. "Do you know where Yamato is?"

Mamoru gave a slight shrug, "Nii-san just mumbled something about pest control and left with Hyuuga-san a couple hours ago."

_Pest control?_ Pink brows furrowed in confusion for a moment before Sakura decided the matter was just not worth pondering at the moment, sleep was a much more pressing priority. "Wake me when he gets back okay Mamoru-kun? I want to take a shower before we head out."

The nin gave a quick nod as he tucked her in, "Sure thing Nee-chan!" The response, however, met deaf ears. The kunoichi had passed out the moment her head touched her pillow.

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"They have balls, I'll give the bastards that," dark brown eyes burned furiously. "I can't believe they tried to _strong arm_ the council into putting her back on their team."

Neji gave a contemptuous snort, "Apparently being a member of team seven is synonymous with being a god to their overinflated egos."

"Apparently. It's unfortunate that the council shares their opinion, anyone else who'd attempt this shit would find themselves doing D rank missions for at _least_ the next decade."

"The council may share their opinion," the Hyuuga conceded, "but the Godaime doesn't and she's the only one who can grant their request." His mouth twisted into a nasty smirk, "And something tells me she's not exactly inclined to do so."

Yamato let out a bark of laughter. "_That's_ an understatement. Tsunade-sama is so possessive of her apprentices it borderlines obsession, there's no way in hell she'd ever give one of them up to a team."

It was true; the blonde kunoichi fiercely guarded her two students, resembling an overprotective mother bear even during her more docile moments. Anything or anyone who even _attempted_ to hurt them or to take them away from her had nothing short of a death wish, they were her surrogate daughters and anyone foolish enough to disregard how much they meant to the Godaime was in for a very rude awakening.

Silver eyes lit in anticipation, "It will be…interesting to see how this meeting will play out."

His companion's lips quirked into a wry grin, "Hmm, not exactly how I would have worded it. The meeting will be a bloodbath, you know that Hyuuga."

Neji slid his eyes towards the tree-user, "As I said, interesting."

The older nin shook his head in amusement, "Didn't take you as a sadist Hyuuga, you hide your streak well. Though," his lips took on a cruel edge, "in this case I can't say that I blame you."

Said shinobi gave a noncommittal hum, neither agreeing nor disagreeing with the assessment of his character. "Who else will be at the meeting?"

"Besides us? Team seven, some of the senior council members, and the Godaime will of course be there. I think Nara and Shizune-san will also be there since they're the ones, other than us, who usually work with her."

"I wonder what they're thinking," Neji murmured, eyes narrowing slightly in contemplation. "Why the sudden urge to have Sakura on team seven."

Yamato knew the urge was anything but sudden, but the vow of secrecy he'd been forced to take by Sakura about how much pain team seven's past actions had caused her limited how much he could reveal, much to his displeasure. There was nothing he'd rather do than tell the others how badly those bastards had hurt Sakura, but the kunoichi was dead set against it, not wanting to seem weak and not wanting their peers to form any sort of negative bias towards people who were, by several counts, heroes for Konoha.

So he only gave a slight shrug, "Maybe they're feeling nostalgic?"

"Maybe, but Sakura was only a member of team seven for a year back when she was genin. That's only about a seventh of the length of team seven's existence, and the time is even shorter in the Uchiha's case. Most people have even forgotten that Sakura was ever a part of team seven." His eyes narrowed further in thought, "The short time she spent with them makes their actions odd."

"Personally, I'm leaning more towards irrational." The older brunette gave a careless shrug, "But odd works too." Any response Neji might have made was cut off as they reached the entrance to the Hokage's office.

"Here we go," Yamato muttered under his breath, wondering just what madness they were about to enter. His companion mutely nodded, understanding the older nin's unspoken thoughts.

They felt the tension as soon as they stepped foot in the room.

The occupants maintained deceptively relaxed stances, but the aggressive energy emanating from them thickened the air like a volatile sludge, ready to erupt into violence at the slightest provocation. The Godaime lounged behind her desk, Shizune firmly planted on her right, both women nonverbally daring anyone to challenge their authority. Near them, as if acting as a sentinel, Shikamaru casually slouched against the wall while keeping a steady gaze on team seven and the council members through hooded eyes.

Wrapping their inflated sense of importance around them like protective cloaks to hide their unease, the council members sat haughtily before the Godaime, their close grouping suggesting their courage stemmed solely from their numbers. Team seven was fanned out behind the members, each in a various state of lounging on different sections of the back wall; the males unflinchingly met eyes of the Godaime, taking her nonverbal dare head on.

All in all, the scene more closely resembled a standoff between warring parties than a team assignation meeting. Though, in retrospect, it really wasn't that surprising considering just who was at the meeting and who the meeting was for.

Snapping her eyes to the two recently arrived nins, Tsunade briskly motioned them to find a spot and started the meeting. "Since everyone's here, we might as well get this over with." She leaned forward in her seat, steepling her fingers contemplatively, "Though I have to admit that I'm curious to hear why a team of highly capable nin would suddenly decide that they need a medic after six years of functioning perfectly well without one, especially since you already have the maximum number of nins recommended for a cell." A blonde brow arched, tawny eyes clearly demanding an explanation.

"We've actually been wanting a medic for a long time Lady Hokage," Kakashi calmly meet her gaze, no sign of deceit in his tone. "Besides Naruto, none of our bodies have accelerated healing capabilities and all of our healing knowledge is elementary at best." He gave a lazy, nonchalant shrug, "The only reason we haven't requested a medic before this is due to our absence from Konoha."

Neji had to forcibly restrain from snorting at his not so subtle reminder of team seven's accomplishments for Konoha. _Of __**course**__ they would play that card, arrogant bastards_.

"Your team didn't seem to be handicapped by the absence of a medic while hunting down S-class missing nin," Shizune remarked, "And plenty of squads manage to function well without a full-fledged medic."

Kakashi, seemingly the designated spokesperson for team seven, hummed noncommittally. "True, but those squads always have someone proficient in healing." The implied 'moron' made Shizune bristle in indignation. "We also had a harder time tracking our targets during our absence because of delays in finding medics to heal the worst of our injuries and too many brushes with death for comfort. We feel a medic would make things go more smoothly."

The words were not rudely spoken, but still managed to suggest to the room that the medics present should have already made that deduction. Yamato inwardly raised a brow at their nerve; it took either considerable arrogance or considerable idiocy to even subtly insult members of Konoha's trifecta. _They have even bigger balls than I thought_.

As Tsunade's brow furrowed slightly in irritation, and beads of perspiration started appearing on the brows of the council members, Yamato settled himself more comfortably against the wall with a small smirk on his lips. He couldn't _wait_ to see how this played out.

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**Hmm, I have a question for all of you.**

**I'm kinda on the fence about Kenji right now.**

**I'm not sure whether I want to make him a significant player in Sakura's romance life or not.**

**What do y'all think?**

**Until next time…**

**Later.**


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